By: Gwen Pacis

Photo Credit: Kendall Blunt

Let’s give Kendall Blunt a warm hello!

Kendall Blunt is a senior in the Media and Communication Studies (MCS) major also working on her certificate for the French language. Outside of all their work and academics, they crochet, produce art, relax with games like Stardew Valley, and binge TV. 

However, pursuing MCS was not previously part of their path. Upon entering University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), Kendall originally pursued a Global Studies major with a French minor. However, she felt that she could not connect with the major for a long time and swiftly realized that it was not for her. Amidst her need for change, Kendall was drawn to MCS because she was an avid media consumer. From her constant interaction with movies, shows, music, and social media, the major gave her a chance to broaden her view on many of these things. After much deliberation, she decided to change her major to MCS where it finally clicked with her love for media and allowed her to combine her creativity and logical thinking into one mode of communication.

Kendall’s pursuit within MCS so far has been fruitful. Currently for her MCS 499: Capstone Senior Seminar course, her capstone research paper focuses on YouTube facilitating digital grooming by its influencers while diving deep into the case study of Colleen Ballinger (Miranda Sings). When further reflecting on her time, Kendall noted that various parts of the major have aided her in her current endeavors as well. 

For coursework, MCS 355: Social Media: Networking and Mobility and MCS 370: Internet Video Production were two classes fueled with enjoyment in their eyes. Both courses enabled Kendall to apply their skills to projects that directly relate to what they want to do in the future. Additionally, Kendall elaborates that MCS 355 has aided them in their current management in the UMBC Gameroom as a desk attendant and social media manager. More specifically, the class supplied them with skills and a deep understanding of how to appeal to certain demographics, do a social media audit, and make a successful social media campaign. This led to them effectively creating, curating, and organizing content and data for the UMBC Gameroom’s Instagram and webpage. 

However, by far, Kendall’s favorite part of MCS is the professors. Two professors she notes that she holds in high regard are Dr. Loviglio and Professor Anchor. For Dr. Loviglio, she appreciates how he brings immense joy to the subjects he teaches and how much he deeply cares for his students. For Professor Anchor, Kendall voices how she is a huge reason why her current product and content creation skills have grown throughout her time at UMBC. Similarly, each professor had extended helping hands in substantial ways. A moment Kendall recalls from Dr. Loviglio was when he reached out to ask how she was doing while she was bearing through tough personal problems. Likewise with Professor Anchor – Kendall notes how quick she is to give a helping hand with encouragement or tips when struggling with a certain concept or tool.

For those who pursue MCS in the future, Kendall advises future students to choose electives that cater to what they want to do with their careers! 

“The time I have spent in Public Relations class, Social Media class, and Internet Video Production are invaluable compared to the time I spent in other classes.”

After a long journey, Kendall plans to graduate in Spring 2025. Right now, their definite path after obtaining their MCS degree and French language certificate is uncertain. However, their sights are focused on the general field of marketing – whether it be social media management, brand management, or public relations (PR). As the time draws closer to departing from UMBC, Kendall conveys that what they will miss the most about the university is the sense of community and enthusiasm around all things media with the MCS department. This goes further to their peers – Kendall will miss the diversity and intelligence those within the major shared, especially their aid and friendship within shared courses.