My name is Samantha (Sammie) Paul. I am a junior advertising major with a minor in computational technology. I love my major for a lot of reasons, but what made me want to dedicate my life to the advertising/media field is the ability to go virtually anywhere with it. It doesn't corner me in. I have the opportunity to not only go anywhere in the world and have a job but even in agencies, I could potentially wear a lot of hats. I tend to get bored easily, so I wanted to find a field where I am always learning and always doing something. Although I aspire to be a UI/UX designer, I love how my field leads me to a wide range of possibilities if I happen to change my mind.
The best class I took last semester was probably French II. My teacher was amazing and incredibly helpful, and everyone in my class acted as a team. We usually helped each other every day and formed a study group.
My biggest accomplishment last semester was being promoted to an art director in Lindsey+Asp, the on-campus advertising agency. The agency has given me a lot of experience. I really enjoy applying myself in that environment, so to be recognized for that was rewarding.
I didn't do many exciting things over the same. I was taking two online classes, so it wasn't too eventful. However, I did visit Austin, TX pretty often for being a die-hard Sooner. One of my best friends lives in Austin, so I spent the weekend with her in June.
I am a huge 80s movies junkie. My all-time favorite movie is When Harry Met Sally... I have seen it AT LEAST a hundred times, and I could quote it verbatim. I also enjoyed La La Land, The Martian, and Horrible Bosses. I don't really have a favorite t.v. show but I binge a lot of shows. Most recently I binged Handmaid's Tale and How to Get Away with Murder. Both phenomenal. As far as books go I love psychological thrillers (Gone Girl, I Hunt Killers, etc).
So music. I love music. Obsessed with it really. Which is odd because I have zero musical talent. I warn everyone I have a terrible singing voice but I am proud of the fact I recognize that and it won't stop me from belting every Taylor Swift song at the top of my lungs. Speaking of Taylor Swift, I am a total Swiftie™. I know all of her songs just from the first two chords in the intro. Other favorites include Lorde, The Band CAMINO, Julia Michaels, Post Malone, and many others. I never close myself off from new music. I try to give every artist a chance, and I try to not avoid any genre.
I change my career goals pretty often, but all of my career goals tend to lean into the media industry in some form. As of right now, I aspire to be a UI/UX designer. I love graphic design, creating websites and mixing art with technology. If I could land a job in that sort of field in the next five years I would be incredibly fulfilled.
I have two pets. One of them is my baby, my pride, and joy. The other is my dog. I got my cat when I was five. Lemme tell you it was a mistake handing a five-year-old a six-week-old, white kitten and asking her to name it because little me and all my creativity could only come up with Snowball. However, over the years Snowball has grown to be a more golden and I have grown to call him by several different names. My favorites are Pizza Roll, Toasted Marshmellow, and Mr. Snowball (he is distinguished now he deserves the title). My other pet is my dog, Mickey. He is a very friendly, but energetic Boston Terrier mix. I love him but I am definitely more of a cat person.
Caption: Pizza Roll/Snowball/Toasted Marshmellow pictured in his most usual state. (Mickey not pictured because I do not have any of him, unfortunately).
I enjoy a lot of different hobbies. I am an avid swimmer, I like to bake and paint (usually watercolors).
So that is a general introduction to me.
Cheers!
Hi Sammie!
ReplyDeleteI totally relate to your thinking about being able to take your work anywhere with you! I am a marketing major working as a social media marketer, so I completely understand that! It is so nice being able to work from wherever and whenever just by logging on the computer!
I am definitely more of a dog person but your cat is so cute! I love that you have given it different names throughout the years!
Hope you have a great semester and good luck with your exciting career!
Hey Sammie!
ReplyDeleteI think your career choice is pretty awesome. My sister studied computer technology and management information systems in college and has been able to work at a wide range of different positions. Like you mentioned it often comes with the convenience of being able to work from home, but if you end up going that route you better be prepared for a lot of inconvenient conference calls haha! I too am a huge fan of music. I don't sing but I sometimes play the drums! A few of my favorite bands right now are Kings of Leon, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The Black Keys just to name a few. You should check them out if you haven't already!
Well, thank you for a great introduction; I hope your semester goes well!
Planning a career as a UI/UX designer sounds great, Sammie! One of the best presentations that I heard at InstructureCon was by the chief UX researcher; we learned about all the different techniques they use to research how things are going with the Canvas UX and other Instructure products. It was all so interesting: psychology and technology all combined! I hope you can find a project in this class that will let you explore the storytelling dimensions of the online experience. Online can be where it all comes together: words, visual arts, music... that's why I like teaching online so much: the web is a great space for creating and sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi, Sammie! First off, I absolutely adore your cats! I am a huge animal person, so I tend to get really excited when I see pictures of cute animals. I have never heard of UX before, but I think it's really cool that you are going into that field. I have never really been good at studying technology and math, so I definitely applaud you for doing it! I do like the idea of being able to work from home, but it is also nice to have the option of going to an office to work as well, just to have some variety. I am a huge music fan and I love to sing! Some of my favorite bands are Green Day, Panic! At the Disco, and Arctic Monkeys! You should listen to them if you haven't already. Have a good semester!
ReplyDeleteHey Sammie! Congratulations on your achievement. Being promoted to art director is nothing to scoff at. That's a wonderful achievement and I'm sure that you should be very proud of yourself. That's cool that you really like media. Media is one of the biggest things of the modern age. I definitely want both a cat and a dog someday. I really like them both. I think I'm a little allergic to cats though, but that won't stop me from having one!
ReplyDeleteHi Sammie! I truly enjoy listening to people talk about something they are passionate, and seeing their faces light up. which I am sure yours did when you was writing your introduction. I also did not have a very exciting summer, taking an intersession and then two online summer classes. feels like I have been doing school non stop since the middle of Jan. I also love T-Swift, I remember listening to her on Myspace before she released her albums. Her earliest songs will always be my favorite and I know them all by word also. As someone who has changed their major, and career goals a many of times it is okay when the right one comes along you will know it is it.
ReplyDeleteHey Sammie! I'm also an ad major, and it honestly is such a cool field! I've always wanted to do design and currently I'm in an ad layout class and it's really fun. I also love music and I am always down for a Taylor Swift jam sesh. I haven't listened to all of her newest songs, but I always go back to Haunted as my absolute fave to scream in the car. I recently binge watched the Handmaid's tail too, and it was so good but also so intense!
ReplyDeleteHey Sammie! My sisters name is Samantha, so yay name twins! I agree with your obsession of music but no musical talent. I used to sing when I was little, but I come from a very small town so I got to be the star because no one else volunteered. Needless to say, I can't sing, but music is one of my favorites part of life. Also, cute cats. Nice to meet you!
ReplyDeleteHey Sammie!
ReplyDeleteYour cat is so cute! I am a total animal lover so I am always so happy when people include pet intros in their introductions. I too enjoy all the movies and tv shows you recommended! I just finished the drama/thriller on Netflix called The Bodyguard and it was so good! It seems like something you might like so you should check it out!
Hey Sammie!
ReplyDeleteFellow Gaylord student here! I bet we have crossed paths a few times ( I am in Gaylord right now!) I think your title was really cool and what you want to do for a job. I thought I wanted to do that too but decided PR was for me. I also love all 80s movies. When I was the yearbook editor in high school I designed a whole year book (308 pages!) about 80s movies! Each spread was named after a different movie. IT was really fun and won 2nd in the nation!
Hi sammie! it was really interesting to read about you. i absolutely love your blog, it is so cute i can definitely tell you enjoy designing websites! Your major sounds super interesting and i definitely get what you mean by not wanting to feel back into a corner. I feel the same way sometimes, i dont ever want to feel like i can only go down one path. Your cat is really cute, i love all the nicknames you have given her. As for me i am definitely a dog person but your cat is adorable!
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