Juan Perla

On March 12, 2003, Deidre Medley had the opportunity to sit down with Juan Perla, who was an International Communication major at the time, and interview him regarding his experience in the Communication Department.

Deidre: "I know you are an International Communication major, Juan, and I want to know what made you choose that specific discipline."

Juan: "Well in high school I really enjoyed being on the newspaper. I was on the editorial staff. When I started looking for colleges I found a college in California that offered a degree in International Communication with an emphasis in French. And that is what I had been studying in college as a foreign language. I thought it would be really exciting to get to spend a year abroad and learn how to write and communicate and study the media, you know, two things I really enjoyed at the same time."

"Then I went to France for a year, and came to Andrews. They didn't have an International Communication program at the time. So, I figured that if I just had a French degree, and a Communication degree that it would all balance out in the end. I talked with my advisor and she thought that Andrews needed to have an International Communication program. And after some work with the faculty, they came up with a program that I love and I am happy to be able to be a part of it. I like different cultures, and I like to travel and to learn how to communicate with different people."

"International Communication is an important discipline to me. Especially now that people are moving all over the place and students are traveling more and professionals are traveling more--it is hard enough to have to communicate within your culture, but having to communiate with someone who sees the world completely different from how you do becomes a greater challenge. Learning to communicate with people who think differently than you--and also understanding why they think differently than you, I think, is a valuable skill."

Deidre: "What are some of the courses that you have taken that have helped you and have been of aid in your international communication major?"

Juan: "There have been a few communication courses that I would say [that] have been the most valuable classes I have taken in college. One of the classes that has taught me a lot is my group communications class, Group Dynamics and Leadership--it was a really frustrating class to be in, but in the end I learned how to work in a team and be part of a greater cause than just my own goals, but the goals of the group."

"Other classes related to International Communication that I have taken that have been very important, have been classes I've taken with the Political Science department. International Relations and Comparitive Politics [are two classes that] have taught me about why people are different. The history behind it. The interaction that occurs between groups of people and the ideology behind it as well."

"And I'm taking a class right now that I think has been the most satisfying class in the communication department that I have taken, in terms of academic and intellectual growth, and it has been my Communication Theories class. I really appreciate being able to see how scholars in this area have contributed to the thought that currently exists in our world."

Deidre: "That is really interesting. Can you tell us a little about where you are currently working on campus and how you are also able to apply what you are currently learning in your International Communication degree?"

Juan: "My currently job relates unbelievably to International Communication. In fact it's what I do every day. I work as admissions counselor and public relations specialist at the International Development Program. It is a master's degree program that is taught off-campus. Every day I come to work--and it is amazing because it is a student job--but it is much more than that. The responsibilities that my job has given me I could never find at any other job on campus. Some of the things I do include communicating with students from French-speaking African countries and also students from Europe. And to write to them is a completely different story than--I write to them through e-mail--to write an e-mail to a student in another country is not the same as writing an e-mail to a friend. Especially when their first language may not be English or French. You have to chose words that are simpler and that they understand. Those are skills that I learned in Communication classes."

"Intercultural Communication [a class I've taken] has taught me to be sensitive to different issues that may be important to those people. Or may be key issues for them, hot topics, how to avoid them or how to be knowledgeable about that kind of stuff."

"Most important though, is that I get to write promotional material for the organization, for the department, the International Development Program. And this material is distributed to students all over the world. In Latin American, in Europe, in Asia, in Russia and Africa. So the messages need to be tailored specifically for them. And classes I've taken that have taught me about these regions and the issues in these places and how to communicate with different people have been very important in my job."

"And let me tell you about one of the most recent campaigns that I have been working on. It's called Peace for Development. And with this campaign I've been able to put together many components of a Public Relations campaign that I've learned from classes. I put together a Press Kit that talked about the event, the themes, and all of the information about the campaign. I got to direct a photoshoot, be an artistic director of a photoshoot--I've never done that before, and it was really exciting. And I also got to oversee the design of the final posters that went up. And got to write press releases for the local media so that they could come to a panel discussion slash press conference."

Deidre: "Thanks so much for coming and joining us, Juan, and I wish you all the best."