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M.A.
Graduate Students
M.A. Profiles
Nicole
Abeyta No biography available. Lingjing Bao No biography available. Pamela
J. Gerber
Rodrigo Guzmán (Roga) Born and raised in Mexico City, Roga got his B.A. in Communication Sciences from the Tecnológico de Monterrey Campus Edo. de México in 2010. When an undergrad, he came to Albuquerque as an exchange student for 6 months during 2009. Roga's interests are in the fields of aesthetics, semiotics, art, media artifacts, feminism, and gender issues. He is interested in how contemporary art, through the uses of aesthetic strategies, is resembling or appealing to the idea of the uses of media as artifacts that enables a different experience to the users. Roga is also interested in feminist theory and gender, especially focused in artwork and media production that have this topic as a theme of reflection. He is planning to graduate in 2013 and pursue a Ph.D. in aesthetics, semiotics or gender. M.A. Student After Zhibin received his B.A. in Japanese linguistics and literature at Shanghai International Studies University, he began to seek an interdisciplinary area to continue his study in culture, society, social anthropology and communication. Due to his research experience in SISU Intercultural Institute and his will to fill the vacancy of the intercultural communication research in Sino-Japan, he found an ideal place to continue his academic life at C&J. His research interests focus on intercultural communication, cultural conflict, immigration/internal migration issue, culture adaptation and value studies. M.A. Student 
A proud dual citizen of both Canada and the United States, Siobhan spent the majority of her life growing up in Toronto, Canada, but maintaining close ties to the U.S. She first began her communication career in journalism — editing at two magazines before writing for the largest city news desk in Canada. Most recently, her career turned to a corporate communication focus, where she spent several years before moving to Albuquerque in 2007. Siobhan's research interests lie in message involvement and the influence of medium interactivity on persuasion, specifically, messages mediated by technology, and she won the top debut paper award for theory advancement at the 2010 WSCA conference. She has also had numerous invitations to guest lecture on a secondary research interest: educating instructors about plagiarism and research skills to teach undergraduate students. Siobhan applies a mixed methodological approach to her research, and a love of learning to her teaching. She intends to pursue both at a Ph.D. level. M.A. Student Uriel
Lapcevic
Originally from New York, Uriel was raised in Chimayo, a small community in northern New Mexico. His unique perspectives on multiculturalism and minority issues evolved while growing up as an Italian/Serbian Gypsy immersed in a Hispanic world. While living the life of a minority in the minority, he learned the value of oral traditions and cultural storytelling. In high school, Uriel was awarded twenty-one peer awards for his works in TV Production. He obtained his BA in Media Arts from the University of New Mexico in May, 2006. After getting his feet wet in the world of television as a camera operator for KOB-TV, he realized that he would rather produce his own content. He joined the MA program at the Department of Communication and Journalism in order to further study media and the importance of cross-cultural storytelling. He intends to use these skills as he pursues his aspirations of film directing and producing at a block-busting level.
Diana Leon Originally from Mexico City, Diana grew up and went to school in Texas. She received her B.A. in Communication Studies from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. After working for three years at a Spanish-speaking television station (both in front of and behind the camera), she decided she wanted to conduct research about the representation of Latinas in the media. Her most current research explores audience responses to Latinidad and Hybridity in lingerie and swimwear ads. By using audience response case studies, she attempts to shine light on what audiences, particularly Latina/os, are asking the media to do in terms of their representations. Additionally, Diana is interested in critical race theory and intersectionality. She is currently pursuing an M.A. in Communication and is a Public Speaking instructor. See her curriculum vitae.
T.J. received his B.A. in communication and journalism from the University of New Mexico with a minor in media arts. As an undergraduate, he produced a documentary titled "That Which is Most Precious: La Fiesta de San Antonio" under the tutelage of UNM professors Miguel Gandert and Enrique Lamadrid. The documentary told the story of acequia (ancient Spanish irrigation systems) culture in the New Mexico community of San Antonio. The documentary earned an award from a university-wide research symposium and has been featured in El Rancho De Los Golandrinas, a living history museum outside of Santa Fe. He has since continued his research into acequias and was a teaching assistant for a UNM ethnographic field studies class where the subject was studied exclusively. T.J.'s areas of interest are in mass media and intercultural communication. He is interested in ethnographic research and telling stories across cultures through digital mediums. He teaches visual communication in the C&J Department. Originally from Albuquerque, Julianna received her dual B.A. in communication and English from the University of New Mexico in May 2007. After graduating from UNM she decided to embark on a solo travel adventure throughout Western Europe. Within her travels Julianna learned several alternative ways of living and enjoying life without excess waste or consumption. Julianna has always been interested in environmental sustainability and resourse conservation. However, the prominence of ecological solutions and waste reduction throughout Western Europe sparked her interest to continue her educational career addressing this very issue. Julianna is primarily interested in the mass media's ability to influence audiences to think a certain way about a issues. Julianna plans to compile a short documentary or public service announcement that encourages environmental awareness and behavioral change when it comes to resource consumption. Stacey
Overholt Born and raised in southern California , Stacey graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in communication from California State Polytechnic University-Pomona in 2010. While growing up, Stacey had the opportunity to travel the world with her family, visiting and exploring 18 countries and more than a dozen states. These experiences sparked her initial interest in intercultural communication and caused her to select it as an area of study at UNM. Also studying mass communication, Stacey is interested in the cultures formed through the use of social networking websites. She is pursuing an M.A. degree in communication while also working in the C&J department as a public speaking instructor.
Lisa Rossignol Lisa was born and raised in Albuquerque. She received a Bachelor of University Studies titled "Art: Space, Aesthetics, and Education" from the University of New Mexico in 2001, cum laude. She spent 7 years in Marketing and Advertising until her first child experienced a catastrophic health event. Having been forced to form new relationships with more than 30 doctors, therapists, nurses and case managers, Lisa became increasingly interested in understanding how medical system personnel interact with families. Her current research involves evaluating medical students for specific communication skills before and after Family-Centered Care education. Lisa is currently a fellow in The Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities program (NM LEND) at the University of New Mexico,located at the Center for Development and Disability, a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD). The NM LEND serves as a center of excellence in leadership training that prepares the next generation of policy makers, faculty, clinicians and researchers to lead the maternal- and child-health work force. The program offers graduate and post-graduate leadership training in neurodevelopmental and related disabilities, including autism. Jennifer
Schouwe Jennifer received her B.A. from California State University-San Marcos and her associate's degree from Mira Costa College, also in California. She is currently pursuing her M.A. in communication, focusing on rhetoric of space and place, national memory, post-colonial theory, feminism, and intercultural communication. She is in the second year of the program and is studying the intersections of art, architecture, anthropology, rhetoric of space and place, post-colonial globalization, and intercultural communication. She specifically examines how museums operate as spaces that negotiate social construction of national history and memory along with the politics of identity and representation, highlighting the impact of globalization and colonialism. See her curriculum vitae. M.A. Student Originally from Colorado Springs, Colo., Kaley graduated from the University of New Mexico with a B.A. in communication. Her undergraduate focus was in interpersonal communication. She is now pursuing an M.A. degree in communication and teaches two sections of public speaking. Her research interests include the breaking of communication norms when interacting with pregnant women, and the ways in which private concerns of a pregnant woman are made public through unsolicited advice and criticism. Liesel Sharabi Originally from Philadelphia, Pa., Liesel received her B.A. in communication with an emphasis in organizational communication from the University of New Mexico. As an undergraduate she held an internship in the Live Online! division of the washingtonpost.com, fundraised for a local political party during the 2004 presidential election, and was vice president of organization of her college sorority. Upon graduation, she entered the world of advertising and public relations and worked primarily with local and national retail and entertainment clients. Currently in pursuit of her M.A. in communication, Liesel teaches two sections of public speaking at UNM. Her primary research interests are in computer-mediated communication and interpersonal communication between romantic partners. Michael
F. Snyder Mike was born in New Jersey but grew up in Denver. He's worked in broadcast engineering and operations for many years and is the manager of broadcast technical services at KNME-TV. His experience includes a wide variety of behind-the-scenes work such as editing, camera, systems design and technical support. Along the way, he earned both an AAS in electronics at DeVry and a B.S. in information systems at Regis University in Denver. Early in his career, Mike discovered a knack for explaining technical concepts in a way that made them easily understood by others and realized he was a good negotiator who could quickly establish communications between groups. Combining those skills with a background in the media led Mike to study communication at UNM. He is studying the various ways that non-verbal communication impacts individuals in group and organizational settings. He is also interested in how mass media frames and sets the agenda for issues such as health care. Brittany Stone Having traveled and moved around the United States for most of her life, it is hard to pin-point where Brittany is originally from. She received her B.A. in communication with an emphasis on intercultural communication from the University of New Mexico. Brittany has a strong interest in environmental communication and intercultural communication and she plans on mixing the two for her M.A. She is especially interested in looking at how traditional or "lost" skills are incorporated in the creation and sustainability of urban micro-farms. In this vain, Brittany has been learning how to spin yarn, can food, garden, keep chickens, cook traditional and seasonal foods, make soap, keep bees and many more helpful skills for living a sustainable life. Coming from a large and ever growing family, Brittany feels that reconnecting with the cultural traditions and land is not only important but necessary for sustainability. LaRae Tronstad M.A. Student LaRae moved to New Mexico from the small town of Powell, Wyo. She received her B.S. in applied mathematics with a dual major in speech communication and minor in applied statistics from Chadron State College in Nebraska in 2007. After taking a three-year break from education, she is now pursuing her M.A. degree in communication studies. LaRae’s primary focus in the program is yet to be defined, but her interests revolve around intercultural communication. Camille
R. Velarde 
Originally from Cuba, N.M., Camille is a second-year
master’s student in the Department of Communication & Journalism.
Camille enjoys working with the diverse community of students and
faculty at UNM and values the experience of discovery, creativity,
and growth fostered through the dialogues present therein. She received
a B.A. in organizational communication with a minor in psychology
from UNM. She holds a management position at an established law firm
in Albuquerque and teaches two Web-enhanced sections of public speaking
for C&J. Camille utilizes a facilitator approach to teaching,
believes in fostering personal transformation, empowerment, and social
awareness while teaching the fundamental concepts of public speaking.
Her research interests are in health communication, specifically addressing
mental health disparities. Kirby
Witten-Smith Originally from Taos, N.M., by way of Baton Rouge, La., Kirby earned his B.A. in English from UNM in 2004. Upon receiving his degree, Kirby set off to Tokyo, Japan, where he lived and taught ESL for almost two years. During this time, he developed a strong interest in communication and decided to pursue an academic career in the field after returning to the States. While working for a PBS member television station, Kirby is pursuing a greater understanding of public media and the importance of having not-for-profit television, radio and print in a democratic society. Combining his knowledge and experience with successful publicly funded media services in multiple countries, Kirby hopes to develop new methods for sustaining healthy and vibrant independent media. QingJing
Xu (Angela) A Shanghai native, Angela graduated from Shanghai Jiaotong University in 1991 with a major in English for science and technology, and she received her M.B.A. from China Europe International Business School in 1998. Based in Shanghai, she worked for 17 years in business and education in the fields of cross-cultural communication and organizational communication for various multinational companies. Angela is also a certified counselor. Among the responsibilities she has taken, she has identified and recruited key professional talents, developed and delivered leadership training programs, managed operation of a chain of 60 language schools, assessed M.B.A. candidates, and conducted career counseling to M.B.A. students. Angela has traveled extensively for business to different countries. Her experience and interest in people and communication led her to pursue her M.A. in communication. She is particularly interested in organizational communication and cross-cultural communication. Her current research topic is about challenges in balancing work-life faced by international working mothers. Krystal
A. Zaragoza Krystal is interested in mass media (effects of mass media, media literacy, representations of intercultural/interracial relationships in mass media, etc.). In May 2006, she received B.A. degrees from UNM in print journalism and English. Her past experience is in print journalism, marketing, public relations and science writing. She works as a student writer for a national laboratory. Upon graduation, she plans on using her new knowledge of communication theory to continue working in journalism, marketing and/or public relations. |
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