Oklahoma Scholastic Media begins a new era by hiring two new student workers for the 2021 spring semester: Kyle Minton, a second semester junior Gaylord public relations major, and Samantha Hepburn, a second semester freshman economics and MIS double major. Both students have started their new positions this month.
Kyle Minton, originally from California, has been a student at OU since the 2020 fall semester. As a transfer student, he has been working on obtaining his degree in public relations with a minor in psychology. He is aiming to earn his bachelor’s degree in May of 2022, and he intends to pursue a master’s degree. Kyle wanted to be involved with OSM because of the opportunity to gain experience in working with communications professionals.
“I moved to Oklahoma in 2017, I had one goal in mind, and that was to become a student at the University of Oklahoma. I’ve achieved that goal,” Kyle said. He added “Now, I want to gain the proper experience in the public relations field; OSM has given me that opportunity. I am very thankful for OSM, my boss Melanie Wilderman, and the University of Oklahoma for giving me a chance to grow academically and professionally.”
Samantha Hepburn, a native of the Bahamas, said her interest in OSM stems from the benefit of doing what she loves with writing, while also gaining the skills necessary to translate information on a global scale.
“When I researched more about the [OSM], I realized that it is something that aligned with a few of my passions, writing and the ability to help other people develop the skills that they need to be successful writers,“ Samantha said. “As a United World College graduate, I recognize the importance of being able to transcribe what’s happening in the world around us and how developing such a skill can be a lifelong benefit.”
Student employees Xiao Liu and Skyla Parker are returning this semester. Xiao is in her second semester with OSM, and she’s a Gaylord Ph.D. student in journalism. Skyla Parker has been with OSM since 2017, first as an undergraduate, and now as a Gaylord master’s student in strategic communications.