SFSU Alumni

I sent out a bulk email to everyone I knew regarding the success of "Stick And Pound" today and received quite a few congratulatory responses. The most notable came from Dr. Gerianne Merrigan, Professor of Communication Studies at San Francisco State University. I took quite a few upper division courses from Dr. Merrigan back in the nineties, and we quickly build a solid professor/student relationship. I've kept in touch with Dr. Merrigan over the years, but it was still a pleasant surprise to hear from her.

After I received her email, I quickly picked up the phone and gave her call. It was great to hear her voice, especially since twelve years have passed since I graduated from San Francisco State. I explained to her that life is pretty darn good for me right now with this film hobby of mine and all. I briefly talked about my creative process and that how I never really noticed it, but I really did apply everything I learned in the Speech & Communications department to my every day life. Dr. Merrigan, who is also chair of the department, was so pleased to hear this that she invited me to be a speaker in her Empowerment class. I accepted! The Speech & Communications program served me well, and whatever I can do to inspire other students, I will.


-----Original Message-----
From: Gerianne Merrigan
Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2008 6:02 PM
To: Nguyen, Tony
Subject: Class May 14th

Happy to hear this, Tony! Thank you for rearranging your schedule to come here on Wednesday the 14th! Please plan to come at 12:10 p.m., and we'll start the session with you.

I'd love for you to talk about what you've been doing in the past 12 years, or even go back to your days at UC-Davis and then coming here to study SPCH COMM. I have students in the class who, like you when you were here, know they want to do something with this major, but don't know what it is or how to make their way. They might not follow the path you have followed, but it will be heartening to hear that they can find their way to fulfillment, and that the things they learned here may be of use in ways they did not expect!

If you like, please plan to join us for about 30 minutes -- you can talk for awhile, and take questions from them. The class is Empowerment -- it meets an Org Comm requirement now (so remember Weber's bureaucracy?). Any tips you have on resumes, interviewing, networking for career, etc., also useful. I suspect your comments might run more toward "How I achieved personal and professional empowerment, so far" or something like that...

We meet in HUM 207. If you can get here by noon, please come to my office first, and we'll go to the class together.

Thanks again, Tony. I am excited that you can join us. Let me know if you want to talk more about this before Wed. the 14th.

Geri

Gerianne Merrigan, Professor & Chair
Communication Studies Dept.
San Francisco State University