by Alivia Pavich, IU Peer Coach, Cox Exploratory Scholar, Junior in the Media School

Coming into my first year at IU, I was really nervous. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do and, being on the shyer side, I was afraid that I wouldn’t make any friends. This all changed when I attended the Part Time Jobs Fair and the Student Involvement Fair. Now, I must admit Welcome Week can be a little intimidating. There’s always a lot going on and there’s so many people around, but somehow I made it through.

After attending the Part Time Jobs fair, I applied for an internship at the television studio on campus. I never would have imagined it, but somehow I managed to get an internship at IU’s Radio and Television Services. Right away, I got to train on all this new equipment and work down on the field at IU football games. Not only did this inspire me to declare into the Media School, but I also managed to make a great group of friends.

At the Student Involvement Fair, I learned about groups like Alpha Phi Omega, a national co-ed service fraternity, and IU Student Television. APO not only brought me opportunities to give back to the community, but it also introduced me to a great group of people who were passionate about giving back and having fun while doing it. With IUSTV, I got the chance to help with a student run show. I was taught the basics on how a show is created and produced. As a sophomore, I directed and produced an IUSTV show called “The Bloomington Breakfast Club”. Going into my junior year, I will be interning at the local PBS station, WTIU, to produce and host segments for “The Friday Zone”. In addition to interning at WTIU, I will be directing the IUSTV late night show “Not Too Late”.

My first year was great, and the rest of my four years have even more to offer. Thinking about it now, none of this could have happened had I not attended the Welcome Week activities and joined such amazing groups. I couldn’t imagine being a student at any other school and I’m glad to be a Hoosier.