Duncan Persons, ’19 on Communication, Professors, and the Core Curriculum

A Q&A with Duncan Persons, ’19 // Communication

Communication major Duncan Persons, ‘19, fell in love with Champlain College the moment he stepped on campus. In this interview before he graduated, we talk with Persons about his time at Champlain, and the versatility of his Communication major.

Q: What originally drew you to Champlain?

A: My older sister went to college in Vermont and we fell in love with the Burlington area. I remember when I was in the car with my parents in Burlington, I said, “I want to go to that school down the street. It looks really cool. That college… it’s just so different.”

Champlain’s campus, which is integrated with the city, really matches my personality. I am integrated with a lot of different landscapes, people, demographics, and all the really awesome stuff that makes me, well, me. I fell in love with campus right away. I visited my sophomore year of high school and from there, I said, “I need to come here.”

Q: What do you like most about your Communication major?

A: I’m a Communication major specializing in Media Production with a minor in Public Relations. Communication has been great because you can explore so many different classes—from PR to Video Storytelling to Graphic Design—and that has really helped me set a solid foundation of concrete, interdisciplinary ideas and strategies that aid me in the working world. I have a lot of interests: I love media production, I love graphic design, and I love event management. I have those skill sets, so when it’s needed at my job, I can say, “I can totally help you with that.”

Q: How have the Champlain faculty helped to support you over the past four year?

A: All of my professors at Champlain have been so supportive. Nancy Kerr, my advisor, has been my rock. She is by far the best faculty advisor I could ever ask for. Not only does she really care about her students, but she also knows how to get the job done. She knows the curriculum inside and out, she knows who her students are, who her advisees are, what they like, and what they don’t like. Nancy and my other professors have been great resources.

Q: How has Core added to your major classes?

A: The Core curriculum has been really helpful for me, because it helps me meet people outside of my major. It was awesome to meet people from a wide range of majors—from Psychology, to Secondary Education, to Digital Forensics, Law, and all of the Business majors.

Also, the fact that our Core curriculum is very discussion-based was really amazing. I learned so much, perspective-wise, on what it’s like to come from different parts of the country, what white privilege is, the ins and outs of LGBT awareness, and more. The Core curriculum does a really good job at tackling issues and bringing awareness to students.

Q: Now that you’ve graduated, how would you say goodbye to Champlain College?

A: Thank you Champlain College for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime to learn, grow, and become a much better person from when I started here. I will never be able to repay the people that contributed to my experience here, and I’m eternally grateful to my parents, to my faculty, to my staff, and to every single person that’s supported me throughout these past four years. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much. I really appreciate it.

Does Communication sound like the right major for you? Why not check out the rest of our Division of Communication & Creative Media and see everything it has to offer?