NAME:
Denise Jones

AGE:
45

HOMETOWN:
Watts, CA

MAJOR:
Journalism (emphasis in Public Relations)

LBCC ORGANIZATIONS, CLUBS OR SPORTS AFFILIATIONS:
Viking Student Newspaper

 

Q: How long have you attended LBCC?

A: Fall 2014

 

Q: Why did you decide to attend LBCC?

A: Originally, I enrolled to further my graphic design skills to help my family’s new screen printing business, up to that point I was self-taught on Photoshop and Illustrator using YouTube and the screen printing process.

My work experience mostly centered on office work, bookkeeping and taxes. For me, adapting to a creative way of processing information was different and a bit of a struggle. In graphic design and being creative, everything isn’t balanced as it is with numbers and accounting.

 

Q: What were your expectations when coming to LBCC?

A: To become proficient in Illustrator and designing in MAC and develop a portfolio for freelance design jobs. I wanted to be able to fully market myself as a graphic designer.

 

Q: What does LBCC mean to you?

A:  This school has grown and means a lot to me, this was my third attempt at going to school and by far my most successful. Previously, I never got past the first semesters for one reason or another. As a single parent, with a disabled child, sometimes my family obligations left me with few options other than to just keep working. So the different class options LBCC offered, helped out a lot in scheduling classes around work.

 

Q: Who is your role model?

A:  I really don’t have a role model per se. But if I had to name someone, it would be Wahida Clark. Clark became a successful author in a new genre called urban fiction, while she was incarcerated. Upon her release, she then started her own publishing company and helps guide aspiring and unknown authors.

 

Q: What is your biggest passion?

A: My biggest passion is to get all of the stories inside my head published.

 

Q: In what way have you made an impact at LBCC?

A: By engaging other students and talking to them about the journalism program and working on the newspaper and always encouraging them to stay in school.

 

Q: How has LBCC shaped you into your best self?

A: LBCC has helped shape me into my best self from the encouragement and involvement of my teachers. Their leadership awakened my oldest and deepest desire to be a writer and journalist. At the end of each semester, I look forward to finding new ways to utilize my new skills.

 

Q: What advice would you have for new LBCC students?

A: Take classes in anything that seems interesting, all it takes is a seed of interest, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

 

Q: If there is one thing LBCC has taught you, what would it be?

A: LBCC has taught me that goals can change but to never stop trying to reach your goals. The higher the goal, the harder you climb.

 

Q: Where do you see yourself in the future?

A:  I love talking to people and am not a shy person, so I see myself working in Public Relations and media, possibly teaching.

 

Q: What is one thing you would change about your experience here at LBCC?

A: Having been involved in the newspaper classes for two semesters, I would have like to have taken a few of the Radio and TV classes, to gain experience with those forms of media. As digital media continues to grow, having the knowledge and experience of working in multiple media formats is an advantage.

 

Q: What are your professional goals?

A: To become a successful author and producer, working across different media formats.

 

Q: What do you plan to do after you leave LBCC?

A: My plan is to get a job using my Public relations degree and recent journalism experiences. I would like to transfer to UCLA to study film and TV, I would like to be able to produce my own written work. I have so many stories, both fiction and non-fiction, residing inside my head, needing guidance and a platform to unleash them.