Five Things I Learned From Taking Dr. Agozzino’s Courses

Today was my last day of my last class taught by Dr. Alisa Agozzino. If you have ever taken one of her courses you understand why a big weight was lifted off my shoulders as a I walked out the door. There was also a bit of a bittersweet moment at the realization that I would never take one again. Although there are long hours of hard work, late nights of writing blogs, the annoyance of taking AP tests and the tough grading associated with her courses, I also learned a lot too. There were many fun classes, interesting assignments, helpful tips, and more that also are associated with her courses. After fives courses with Dr. Agozzino, these are the top five things I learned.

1.     How to write: Writing three blogs per week in social media principles felt excessive to me and many of my classmates. With all the other work from the class, the blogs easily got overwhelming. However, when you begin to write three blog posts per week, your writing grows exponentially in a short period of time. Although I didn’t always notice it in the moment, as the semester went on my grades begin to improve and I began to be able to write in shorter amounts of time. I also grew in my writing abilities in PR writing and advanced PR writing as I began to learn how to write PR focused materials for different audiences. I owe my writing abilities to these classes and Dr. Agozzino’s tough grading.

2.     AP Style: Along with writing, I was able to become better at writing in AP style. Her weekly quizzes can be difficult, but they definitely help to gain more of an understanding on how AP style works and what it dictates. I also learned a lot by doing. When every assignment is graded in AP style, you quickly learn how to recognize AP style corrections on your own. When employers ask if I know AP style or not, I can confidently say that I can write in AP style.

3.     All things social media: The focus of three of the classes I took with Dr. Agozzino was social media. As an expert herself, I was able to learn how to specialize in social media for any type of business. It has given me the confidence to be in a position of leadership when working with social media wherever I end up in the future.

4.     Tactical PR skills: Taking PR writing and advanced PR writing was the best thing for my education so far. I was able to learn about different tactics in the PR profession and then test my skills by writing many assignments such as press releases, backgrounders, media kits, and more. These classes also built my portfolio and resume greatly which I am so thankful for.

5.     Meet client expectations: Dr. Agozzino is a tough grader. It takes time to understand how she grades and what she expects. If you put in the time to work hard and meet her expectations, you will be rewarded. This is similar to working with clients. It can often be difficult to understand what they expect at first. These classes taught me how to create work according to the client’s expectations.

There are many things I have learned in Dr. Agozzino classes. However, I am most thankful for the relationship I have built with Dr. Agozzino. She has been a huge part of my education and I am thankful for have her as a mentor and friend. So thank you “Aggie” for all you have taught me!