Jessica Wilson is a junior Communication major with a concentration in Public Relations and Integrated Media. She grew up in Oil City, Pennsylvania with her parents, sister and a variety of pets. She was homeschooled most of her life and spent the last two years of high school in Geneva College’s Early College program. Jess toured many schools during her junior and senior year of high school, but she could not get her mind off Geneva. The rigorous academics, warm environment and small class sizes made the school feel like home almost immediately, which was one of the biggest reasons she decided to come to Geneva.

Jess was thrilled to join the exciting atmosphere of the Communication Department as she began her education. In the three years she has been here the professors, staff, and students in this department have helped her learn and grow in ways she never thought possible. The faith integration in every class is something that she has found adds a lot of value to her classes. Jess said, “My favorite thing about my major is the many opportunities I will have when I graduate. I can work for many different companies doing many different things. The versatility in a Communication degree makes life after graduation less scary.” One of her favorite classes here at Geneva was COM 111, which is one of the first courses all Communication students must take. This class introduced her to many foundational concepts that are key to the field of Communication and helped start her college career.

Running is something that Jess has always loved, so when she was encouraged to join the cross country and track teams at Geneva, she jumped at the chance. Being able to run for the teams has been an amazing experience that she would not trade for anything. “From my first week of school, my coaches and teammates have been like a family to me and helped me grow in faith, determination and strength,” she says.

Jess interns in the Marketing Services and Public Relations office at Geneva, and the real world experience she gets working in the office has helped her strengthen her writing, emails, and PR skills. “Spending time with working professionals who care about their field and Christ is honestly so exciting for me.” She truly values the experience she gets while working with the staff in the Marketing Services and PR office.

One lesson God has taught Jess in her time at Geneva is how to trust wholly in Him. She illustrated this by saying, “The transition to college is not always easy, but throughout the first year of school God helped me grow in many ways. He taught me how to lean on Him in hard times, spend time with Him in the good times and be patient and wait for His timing.” Jess plans to follow the path that the Lord gives her after college but hopes to be working near family for a company that can help her continue to learn and grow her PR and Marketing skills.