Post by ENGAGE administrator on Oct 26, 2012 12:22:24 GMT -5
Welcome, Dr. Damion Waymer, Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech!
Learn more about Dr. Waymer's great work at www.comm.vt.edu/People_in_Comm/Faculty_Bios/waymer_bio.html
Below you can find his message to you!
"Coming to Purdue as graduate student more than a decade ago to study Communication was one of the best decisions of my life. But it sure didn't feel that way while I was there. At times I felt isolated—for I quickly learned that going through graduate school can be a lonely process. Other times I felt inadequate--even intimidated as I was surrounded by brilliant minds, leading producers of research and scholarship, and "legends" in my discipline. Yet as I reflect more critically, I see that I was challenged intellectually; I grew as a person and as a researcher immensely, and I know that I can make it anywhere because of all of the situations--both positive and negative--that I experienced while at Purdue. To current graduate students, I say endure. Be encouraged. You will look back on this experience with fondness just as a soldier reflects on her basic training/boot camp experiences with fondness--realizing that the trials of camp adequately prepared her for the situations she faced later in life. She not only survived those situations, but thrived in them in part due to what some might consider a “harsh” training. So, if I am allowed to continue the military metaphor, I would say to current graduate students, take solace in the fact that you are receiving the best training from one of the most powerful branches of the military (read academic institutions) in the free world. Endure! And I hope to welcome you, with open arms, on the other side!"
Damion Waymer, Ph.D.—faculty Virginia Tech Department of Communication
Learn more about Dr. Waymer's great work at www.comm.vt.edu/People_in_Comm/Faculty_Bios/waymer_bio.html
Below you can find his message to you!
"Coming to Purdue as graduate student more than a decade ago to study Communication was one of the best decisions of my life. But it sure didn't feel that way while I was there. At times I felt isolated—for I quickly learned that going through graduate school can be a lonely process. Other times I felt inadequate--even intimidated as I was surrounded by brilliant minds, leading producers of research and scholarship, and "legends" in my discipline. Yet as I reflect more critically, I see that I was challenged intellectually; I grew as a person and as a researcher immensely, and I know that I can make it anywhere because of all of the situations--both positive and negative--that I experienced while at Purdue. To current graduate students, I say endure. Be encouraged. You will look back on this experience with fondness just as a soldier reflects on her basic training/boot camp experiences with fondness--realizing that the trials of camp adequately prepared her for the situations she faced later in life. She not only survived those situations, but thrived in them in part due to what some might consider a “harsh” training. So, if I am allowed to continue the military metaphor, I would say to current graduate students, take solace in the fact that you are receiving the best training from one of the most powerful branches of the military (read academic institutions) in the free world. Endure! And I hope to welcome you, with open arms, on the other side!"
Damion Waymer, Ph.D.—faculty Virginia Tech Department of Communication
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