Class: 2014
Major: Journalism
Learning and Experiences to Build a Solid Foundation for Success
“The professors at CCM are good teachers who can really shape your entire college experience and, thus, everything thereafter. CCM (also) really proves that you can have a vibrant campus life even if you do not live on campus.”
By age 24, Kelby Clark ’14 had held a number of editorial positions with such prestigious companies as Google, USA TODAY and New York Minute Magazine. Today she is a B2B marketing writer for ViacomCBS.
She had not planned to attend County College of Morris (CCM) but rather had her heart set on studying in California. Then, her father spoke to her about the importance of making sound financial decisions.
“I have to give a shout out to my dad,” she says. “He helped me to see that it was not worth taking on a lot of student debt that might impede my progress in the long run.”
So she took a look at the Communication Program at CCM and was impressed with what she found. She was not disappointed. “The professors at CCM are good teachers who can really shape your entire college experience and, thus, everything thereafter,” she says.
What she also found was an expansive campus life program to enhance her learning beyond the classroom. “CCM really proves that you can have a vibrant campus life even if you do not live on campus,” she says. “It’s even better than what you find at most universities.”
Since CCM is a two-year school, first and second year students are not competing against junior and senior students to obtain leadership positions. As a result, they can start developing essential skills early in their academic career, notes Clark.
At CCM, Clark served on the Student Government Board, wrote for the college’s newspaper The Youngtown Edition, and got involved with the volunteer club. Those experiences allowed her to develop her public speaking, writing and interpersonal skills. That, along with what she learned in the classroom at CCM, she says, is what allowed her to gain professional success at an early age.
After earning her associate degree, she earned her bachelor’s degree from Rutgers. While she undoubtedly benefited from that experience, CCM provided her with “the foundation” that continues to enhance her professional capabilities, she says. That foundation allowed her to obtain positions that included collegiate correspondent for USA TODAY, lead editor at New York Minute Magazine and content editor at Google.
Her advice to other students is to give CCM serious consideration and to get involved in campus life as soon as possible.
“You’ll find that there are people at CCM who want to support you and lift you up, but you have to take that first step and get involved,” she says. “It could be as simple as starting by first attending a student club meeting or meeting with a professor during office hours.”
To learn about the Communication Program at CCM, click here.