Adrianna Horvat is a senior at FIU earning a bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts with a minor in Organizational Communication and a certificate in Social Media and E-Marketing Analytics. She is part of the Honors College at FIU and has earned distinction as a student by making the Dean’s List every semester of her college career.
She is also the president of Lambda Pi Eta, the Communication Arts Honor Society; a member of BOLD, a student-run communication agency; and served for a full academic year as an executive board member of Building Bridges, an honors college club devoted to providing a platform for respectful discourse about heated topics.
Major: Communication Arts
Why did you choose your major?
I actually started as a pre-medicine major. Even though I was passing all my classes, I hated them! Then, in my last semester at Miami-Dade College, I took a speech class and I loved it. I wanted to go into a field where I would be talking and working with people every day, so I tried to find the program that would fit me best. After some research, I applied to the Department of Communication at FIU and started my journey into the world of Communication Arts.
How has your major helped you in your involvements?
Studying communication has made me take a step back and really take a look at the communication processes taking place in my every day life. From interactions with friends and family to professional communication and analyzing information I see in the news, I can apply the theories that I learn in class to just about anything.
Have there been any professors/staff members that have solidified your decision to follow this major?
There are so many outstanding members of the FIU community that helped me solidify my decision to follow this major, but I want shine a light on just a few of the truly awesome women in the department. They are professionals, authors, and consultants but most importantly they are role models. They give students (especially females) someone to look up to, a bar to strive for and, hopefully, surpass. I am thankful that they continue to share their knowledge and talents with the students at FIU.
I want to start with Professor Portela and Professor Perez because I just returned from an amazing study abroad trip that they led. They both go above and beyond to help students jump start their careers by reviewing resumes, sharing internship opportunities, and providing endless words of encouragement for students who need a little extra push to put themselves out there. Professor Lynne Webb has a talent for sparking students’ interests in the study of communication. She also has a way of making students feel like they can accomplish anything! But the quality that makes all of them exceptional is their commitment to enriching the lives of current and former students.
What are your plans after graduation and do they involve the field you are studying?
To be honest, I still find myself interested in different career paths but all of them involve communication in some capacity. Right now, I am torn between communication agencies, nonprofit organizations, and foreign service opportunities.
What kind of impact to you hope to make with the tools given to you through this major?
I would really like to educate and empower my peers. I believe communication is a key factor of the outcome of most situations. I want to use the tools that I have been given to advocate for people who feel that they do not have a voice in matters that affect them.
What piece of advice would you give Freshmen who are deciding what career to follow?
The first thing I would tell Freshmen is to look for something that they not only enjoy but also something that they feel they’re good at, it really goes a long way once you get into your field. Once they find that subject I would encourage them to intern as much as possible. There is no shame in applying for an internship and being denied nor deciding that a specific career path is not for them after an internship. The field is entirely different from the classroom and an internship will helps you see what you like and, more importantly, what you don’t like.
