Eight of the 109 MSU seniors selected to the 2016-17 “Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities” had majors in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications.
They were Alexandra Buesking, Hailey Harrison, Elanor Lorenz, Megan Miller, Amanda Neat, Abigail Seigel, Shelby Smithson and Alissa Sommerfeldt.
Buesking had a major in public relations with a minor in marketing. She was a member of Public Relations Student Society of America and had an internship with Waterhouse Public Relations in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
She was an officer in Alpha Gamma Delta sorority and was vice president of public relations for the Panhellenic Council.
A honors student, Harrison majored in public relations with a marketing minor. She studied in London as part of the CCSA Study Abroad Program.
On campus she was secretary of Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority, a Student Ambassador and a student worker in MSU’s Office of the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs.
She worked a summer internship in account management with Fathom Communications in New York City.
Lorenz, who majored in public relations with a minor in marketing, was special events intern with Anheuser Busch in St. Louis. She also served as a brand ambassador with Switch in St. Louis.
A member of the women’s volleyball team that has won three consecutive OVC titles, she was awarded the Ohio Valley Medal of Honor and on the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll. She was a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.
Miller had a double major in public relations and creative writing. She served as managing editor of Notations, the undergraduate literary journal, and participated in the KIIS Study Abroad program in Italy.
She was vice president for membership for Sigma Alpha Iota and served as a Mentor for four students with disabilities each semester.
A public relations major with a minor in marketing, Neat was a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.
She served as an intern with Go! Experience Design in Atlanta, as marketing intern with Qdoba Mexican Eats in Murray and as a writer for The Odyssey Online.
Neat was a member of Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority, a Murray State Racer Girl, a Student Affairs Peer Mentor and a Great Beginnings Leader.
Siegel had a double major of public relations and youth and nonprofit leadership with a minor in organizational communication. She was in the Honors Program and did a Study Abroad program in Bangalore, India.
She was news editor for The Murray State News, a Peace Corps Campus Ambassador and a writer for The Profiles Project.
Siegel served as an advocate for CASA by the Lakes, a missions counselor for the Baptist Campus Ministry, a Resident Adviser in Residential Life, an officer on the Honors Student Council and a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.
Smithson had a major in TV production and a minor in journalism. On campus, she worked as co-host/co-producer for MSU 2Nite and as segment editor for “Holidays at Murray State.”
She interned with WPSD-Local 6 in Paducah and was co-host and field reporter for MSU’s Digital Media Service. She was an officer in Alpha Gamma Delta sorority and a member of the MSU TV Club, the Campus Activities Board and the Winners Circle.
A public relations major with an advertising minor, Sommerfeldt was a member of the Honors Program and participated in the Study Abroad program in London.
She served as public relations intern for the MSU Alumni Association, as communications intern for Caterpillar, as media representative for VoiceBox Media and as public relations intern for RiverPark Center.
Sommerfeldt was president of Public Relations Student Society of America, a member of Phi Kappa Phi national honor society and a resident advisor in the MSU Housing system.
Gill Welsch, head of the advertising major and advisor for the MSU Ads Club, noted that two seniors selected from outside the JMC department were members of the Ads Club—Patrick Burke (marketing area and a German major) and Jamie Stengel (economics and German double major).
