Gillian Conrad ’10

Gillian didn’t know where her job search would take her after receiving a communication degree. Her interest and her passion quickly came together in the field of public health communication.

“I had an interest in health and a passion for communication, but I had no idea how that was going to come together,” she said.

Her interest and her passion quickly came together in the field of public health communication.

After working for a year after graduation with the American Cancer Society, she took a position with the Berrien County Health Department. She was in charge of all aspects of communicating the department’s message, from media relations to PR, community relations, and content for the web and social media.

After 10 years with the health department, she left last year to become a communication consultant, serving organizations in the public health space.

She said the fundamentals she learned in her persuasion and public speaking courses are useful every day, and were particularly helpful in her position with the health department. Her job required not only persuading people to take measures to protect their health, but also a lot of public speaking. She led meetings with stakeholders and the community, and also gave media interviews. During the height of the pandemic, she was often called on to give more than five media interviews a day.

“I’m glad I got a communication degree. I think that really set me up for success,” she said. “The practical nature of the communication courses you will take are going to serve you in any career. Being able to effectively speak and write and get your point across—and get people to do what you’re hoping they will do—those are going to be really valuable skills.”