Student Spotlight - Karenna Blomberg
Attending EvCC is quickly becoming a tradition in Karenna Blomberg's family. "Getting closer to when I actually applied," says Blomberg, "I had two sisters who were also going to be enrolled at EvCC at the time; one is still working on her AAS, and the other just graduated from the nursing school. EvCC was highly regarded and (in more ways than one) close to home - so it was kind of a no-brainer!" A Running Start student, Blomberg finished her AAS degree and will be transferring to Gonzaga University this fall to major in journalism. "I'm so excited to be moving on, but I hadn't anticipated how much I was going to miss EvCC" says Blomberg. "My time at EvCC was a very positive experience, and I wish I had more time there!"
What did you study at EvCC?
I started at EvCC as a Criminal Justice major. I was a Running Start student - going into my junior year of high school - and I had no idea what I really wanted to do, but I had always been interested in criminal law. I'm still interested in that, and might return to it for postgraduate studies, but the beauty of the AAS program is that it allowed me to take classes in a lot of other fields as well, so by the time I graduated, I had a much stronger interest in the humanities, and especially journalism, and so that's what I'm going get my Bachelor's in.
Why did you choose EvCC?
I had always kind of known about the Running Start program, and always kind of just knew I was going to apply. I had friends and family friends who had gone through Running Start and they all loved it. Getting closer to when I actually applied, I had two sisters who were also going to be enrolled at EvCC at the time; one is still working on her AAS, and the other just graduated from the nursing school. EvCC was highly regarded and (in more ways than one) close to home - so it was kind of a no-brainer!
Who helped you succeed at EvCC? (faculty member, staff). What did that person do to help you?
So, so many people! Lori Wisdom-Whitley and the rest of the Honors program - that kept me on my toes, kept me intellectually challenged when it was tempting to let Senioritis kick in. Gina Colantino - she was my English 101 teacher my first quarter, my Creative Nonfiction teacher this past winter, and my capstone mentor my final quarter. She's a privilege to work with; understanding, encouraging, open. Andrew Wahl - I took his History of the American Comic Book class last summer and he was the one who actually pointed me in the direction of journalism. And all the lovely staff at the Parks Cafe and Bargreens - they're the true heroes!
What do you plan to do next? (Job, transfer, etc.)
I'm heading to Gonzaga University this fall to major in journalism. After that, we'll see! One of the biggest things I learned at EvCC is that it's wise to keep your options open.
Describe the best experience you had at EvCC.
There's a lot to choose from, but the one that comes to mind was Fall Quarter 2018. I had been doing online courses my first year, so this was my first quarter on campus, and I was terrified of the social interaction element of that; I'm not always good at stepping out of my shell. I was in Business Law 201 (with Michael Chaplin, another great instructor!) and within the first week I had made friends with practically half the class; the environment was so welcoming, and all my classmates so nice. I got to walk with some of them at graduation. It felt like a wonderful, full-circle kind of thing.
Why did you choose the college’s Honors program?
At the same time I was starting on-campus classwork, prepping for senior year, redetermining my major, and starting to apply to 4-year colleges, I decided to apply to the Honors program for another challenge - not the best sounding idea, I know! Luckily for me, it ended up being difficult, but definitely maintainable, and even more so, incredibly rewarding. I didn't know much about the program when I applied, but now I'm recommending it to all my EvCC friends!
Please briefly describe your Honors project.
I documented the evolution of television programming from 1980 (the redefinition of the drama show) to present day, through the lens of TV's connection to American culture. I've always been so interested in stories in general, and how they are so strangely essential to humanity, so that drew me towards the project. I also wanted to address the opinions that go around that TV is a dying culture, or that it's mindless entertainment; the stories we tell, and the way we tell them, tell us more about ourselves than we could possibly imagine!
Anything else you want to add?
I'm so excited to be moving on, but I hadn't anticipated how much I was going to miss EvCC. Already, I'm a little bummed I won't be a student here anymore. My time at EvCC was a very positive experience, and I wish I had more time there! I even think I'm maybe going to miss getting up at 5AM every quarter to register for classes...maybe.