Hello! My name is Paul Mocarski, and I’m an alumni at the prestigious Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. I’m currently studying for a degree in Public Relations at the school of journalism and mass communication. The school of journalism and mass communication was previously based in Meredith Hall, but for the current semester my classes have been spread throughout the campus since that building is undergoing major renovations; it’s been the same since the 60s!

An image of Meredith Hall, above.

There are a lot of topics one would go over when attending the college of journalism and mass communication. It possesses degrees like journalism (as one could expected from the name alone), various media degrees like photography, cinematography, audio studies, radio media, multimedia (which includes things such as coding and website design, alongside photoshop and other forms of photo and audio editing and manipulation) and others still. It is a very eclectic and very exciting set of subjects, and I’ve loved my experience in learning as many of them as I can on my path to my degree!

One of the more challenging classes I’ve taken has to be my Web Content and Development class. I have a skilled instructor helping me along, but it is admittedly the very first time I’ve ever done any sort of coding or website design. It is a very new field for me, but it comes a little naturally- which I’m thankful for. It can be a very enjoyable, even cathartic experience to begin to understand how lines and commands of an HTML document work and come together to form not only a cohesive whole but a good looking and well-designed one. I’m even learning how to use WordPress; I might even be using it right now!

Although Drake University (and the college of journalism and mass communication by extension) are in Des Moines, Iowa, I actually Live in Phoenix! Phoenix is Arizona’s capital, and I love the area. While it’s not a perfect city, I believe there’s so much to love about the whole state. The climate is bueatiful, I adore the heat, the mountains are gorgeous, there’s so much local culture, and I find it to be a delightful place to live. The only bad thing about going to Drake University and living in Phoenix at the same time is the commute; I usually have to fly to and from Drake every time there’s a significant break from classes, and those flights tend to be multiple hours.