Introductory personal statement:
My name is Denise Sherron and I am a “non-traditional” undergraduate student at UNCG and a life-long native of Greensboro. I am happily married to a wonderful man and we are child-free by choice. As an only child with no close family, my friends and my pets are very important to me. My profile on this blog offers a bit more about me personally. Since I absolutely love to laugh, one of my favorite websites is: http://icanhascheezburger.com/ check the other hilarious "cheezburger network" websites too.
Professionally, after twenty years as an IT Recruiter, I was burned out by a fast-paced, lucrative career. After the “tech bubble” burst in 2001, I began looking for employment that was more altruistic. In 2003 I became a UNCG employee. Now working with students, faculty, and fellow staffers I am much more fulfilled and gratified by my job. I began taking classes using the tuition waiver benefit for professional development (mostly ISOM courses) and soon realized my love of learning was burning bright. In the past I studied business, real-estate, and landscape architecture, which is a nice way to say that I’ve dropped out of college three times. By taking classes on a part-time basis I hope to graduate with my BLS degree in 2-3 years and to then pursue a MALS degree. At this point in my life, I decided to pursue an education that stimulates me intellectually, not in preparation for a specific career. "Magic, Media and Popular Imagination" is my first BLS class since finally declaring my major this month. I am very excited by the subject matter of this course and look forward to thought-provoking discourse and a deeper exploration of one of my favorite topics.
An area of concern for me in the realm of media:
The consolidated ownership of media outlets over the last twenty years is particularly troubling to me. With fewer sources of information the diversity and the quality of messages to the masses suffer. About ten conglomerates own the overwhelming majority of television networks, movie studios, newspapers, and satellite, cable, and internet service providers. We are shown what is acceptable to the media moguls who are beholden to corporations for advertising revenue. This lack of journalistic freedom leads to an under-informed public who may only take in what they are receiving from these big media outlets. Political figures control and bias the messages too. George W. Bush disallowed the broadcast of flag-draped caskets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan as if that could hide the death toll of his “war on terrorism”. That much power and control over the media cannot be good for our democracy. One has to hope that we will value freedom of the press and that as free-thinking individuals we will seek out information from a variety of sources (including the “blogosphere” that I have now joined), we will question authority, we will ask “who benefits?” and then exercise our free will when the corporate and political messages bombard us.
My name is Denise Sherron and I am a “non-traditional” undergraduate student at UNCG and a life-long native of Greensboro. I am happily married to a wonderful man and we are child-free by choice. As an only child with no close family, my friends and my pets are very important to me. My profile on this blog offers a bit more about me personally. Since I absolutely love to laugh, one of my favorite websites is: http://icanhascheezburger.com/ check the other hilarious "cheezburger network" websites too.
Professionally, after twenty years as an IT Recruiter, I was burned out by a fast-paced, lucrative career. After the “tech bubble” burst in 2001, I began looking for employment that was more altruistic. In 2003 I became a UNCG employee. Now working with students, faculty, and fellow staffers I am much more fulfilled and gratified by my job. I began taking classes using the tuition waiver benefit for professional development (mostly ISOM courses) and soon realized my love of learning was burning bright. In the past I studied business, real-estate, and landscape architecture, which is a nice way to say that I’ve dropped out of college three times. By taking classes on a part-time basis I hope to graduate with my BLS degree in 2-3 years and to then pursue a MALS degree. At this point in my life, I decided to pursue an education that stimulates me intellectually, not in preparation for a specific career. "Magic, Media and Popular Imagination" is my first BLS class since finally declaring my major this month. I am very excited by the subject matter of this course and look forward to thought-provoking discourse and a deeper exploration of one of my favorite topics.
An area of concern for me in the realm of media:
The consolidated ownership of media outlets over the last twenty years is particularly troubling to me. With fewer sources of information the diversity and the quality of messages to the masses suffer. About ten conglomerates own the overwhelming majority of television networks, movie studios, newspapers, and satellite, cable, and internet service providers. We are shown what is acceptable to the media moguls who are beholden to corporations for advertising revenue. This lack of journalistic freedom leads to an under-informed public who may only take in what they are receiving from these big media outlets. Political figures control and bias the messages too. George W. Bush disallowed the broadcast of flag-draped caskets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan as if that could hide the death toll of his “war on terrorism”. That much power and control over the media cannot be good for our democracy. One has to hope that we will value freedom of the press and that as free-thinking individuals we will seek out information from a variety of sources (including the “blogosphere” that I have now joined), we will question authority, we will ask “who benefits?” and then exercise our free will when the corporate and political messages bombard us.
