CommArts Graduate Students Gather to Celebrate Hopeful Holidays  

During their first annual holiday party, CommArts graduate students made greeting cards for hospitalized children.

The Communication programs gathered to share cookies, hot cocoa, and make holiday greeting cards for the Cards for Hospitalized Kids (CFHK) organization.

Following the success of the first seasonal event of the academic year, the Halloween-inspired event Trick-or-Treat Yourself, the CAGSA stewards and their adviser gathered in early November to discuss what initiative would best fit the holiday season. The stewards decided on the theme of 'hopefulness' to end the year on a positive note and agreed on a charitable activity as the evening's main initiative.

Cards created by the graduate students to send to Cards for Hospitalized Kids (CFHK) organization, an internationally recognized organization that has distributed cards to over 100,000 children in hospitals.

The activity was an exercise in the students' art and communication skills, as well as a challenge in understanding what messages of hopefulness the children receiving their cards may need the most. The evening began with steward Asya Robinson's introduction of the CFHK's origins and mission, as well as a list of best practices when preparing greetings cards for the children served by the organization. Cards For Hospitalized Kids, now in its eighth year of service, is an internationally recognized organization that has distributed cards to over 100,000 children in hospitals.

Monisha Bernard, a Museum Professions student, shared that the card-making activity was a fulfilling way to share the holiday spirit. "I truly enjoyed being able to make cards for charity while getting together with fellow classmates in the graduate programs," Bernard said. "The cookies and hot cocoa event by the CAGSA was a great way to get into a festive mood before our holiday break."

The event was also scheduled following the Master's Project and thesis presentations, as well as final presentations for a majority of the graduate courses. "The event was a good way to destress during finals," Elyse Gombas shared. "Making greetings cards together was a fun activity for us to get together with the other graduate students while also giving back to the community in a creative way."

Formed in Fall 2017, the CAGSA hosts regular meetings throughout the academic year to discuss and prepare for programs and initiatives like the Hopeful Holidays event.

Moving into the Spring semester, the CAGSA hopes to implement more engaging, community-building activities for the College's graduate students. Each of the CAGSA's events are prepared by the stewards who work closely with one another and share in the common interest of continuing to enhance the graduate experience within the College. The CAGSA hosts regular meetings throughout the academic year to discuss and prepare for programs and initiatives like the Hopeful Holidays event. Formed in Fall 2017, the CAGSA works to facilitate a fellowship of students who share solidarity in the common endeavor of earning a graduate degree in the communication and arts-related disciplines. To that end, the CAGSA serves all College of Communication and the Arts graduate students with three essential foci: social, academic and networking.

The College currently offers School of Diplomacy and International Relations are offered.

For more information about College of Communication and the Arts, please contact Dr. Ryan Hudes.

Categories: Alumni