Baker will speak at the School of Communications Convocation at 9 a.m. on April 26 Camille Baker returned from her mission unsure of what she wanted to study. Formerly an English major, Baker found herself searching for something new. “I didn't really feel at home in my classes,” she said. “I felt like I couldn't connect with some of the students and the professors. I still really loved writing and editing, and my original intent was to be a book editor, but I didn't really want to go through BYU without having any friends in my classes. I figured I'd look around for a degree that would give me enough credibility to be a book editor.” The solution, she concluded, was the news media major. Her experience in the introduction to communications class validated that decision. “I took the prerequisites, and I was having a hard time feeling like I found purpose in my major,” Baker said. “I had friends who are studying medicine, special education and teaching. They all had these passions, and I just wanted to move commas around. “One of my classes was the Comms 101 intro-level class with professor Jessica Zurcher,” Baker continued. “She shared Elder Bednar’s talk on sharing goodness — ‘Sweep the Earth as With a Flood’ — and she said that she found her passion in communications because she realized that, in order to share the goodness of the gospel with the world, she had to learn how the world communicates.” This resonated with Baker and encouraged her to move forward with studying news media. Even with this broader vision of potential paths within communications, Baker had made up her mind to pursue book editing. “My mentors and professors knew that at the beginning, and I was kind of stubborn about it,” she said. “But, I had a really, really positive experience in my reporting classes. It completely changed the way that I saw journalism and how I saw my future. So, I decided to become a journalist.” The Daily Universe, BYU’s campus newspaper, has been central to Baker’s college experience. “I wish that news media students took advantage of the Daily Universe newsroom,” she said. “I've had a lot of classmates and friends in the program who will choose a different part-time job on campus that pays a little bit more and not work at the Universe. I think that they've really missed a good opportunity.” According to Baker, The Daily Universe benefits students in two ways: first, it gives students the opportunity to attain important work experience that will be valuable no matter their career path. Second, it puts students in contact with the faculty involved with the Universe. “They miss out on the opportunity to work with Steve Fidel and Carrie Moore, who are exceptional resources for the students there,” Baker said. “I wish that every student that went through the news media program was on the staff at the Universe, because it's amazing.” Baker now works as the Deseret News’ newsletter coordinator, a job she received while interning for the news organization. “It was a couple weeks ago that my boss' boss pulled me into his office and said, ‘Hey, I've had a lot of people come up and tell me that if there's anybody we can't lose after their internship, it's you,’” Baker said. “Which was really good to hear and a very nice compliment. They didn't have any openings at the time, but he mentioned that he had been throwing this idea around about creating a position for a newsletter coordinator. They essentially created a whole new position so that I could stay on.” Baker hopes to continue working with the Deseret News in this capacity for the next few years before moving on to be a reporter. “Eventually I would like to transition into in-depth reporting, whether that’s at the Deseret News or another news organization,” she said. “My passion lies in writing and editing.” Q&A with Camille Baker, BA '19 Communications | Communications: News Media What’s your favorite snack to eat between classes or while on break at work? 'If I didn’t have a lunch while I was working in the Universe newsroom (which was for like a year and a half), I'd grab an Uncrustables in the Brimhall vending machines. They just got me. We have Smucker’s Uncrustables at work now. Maybe it’s a good omen.' As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? 'Initially, when I was in first grade, I wanted to be a first grade teacher and, when I was in second grade, I wanted to be a second grade teacher, and so forth and so on. When I was in high school, I wanted to be a chef. I had carefully planned all my credits so I could take a culinary arts class. That went out the window when I took my literature class and fell in love with writing and editing. So, teacher, chef, writer, editor and journalist.'

Norawong will speak at the School of Communications Convocation at 9 a.m. on April 26

Madsen will perform at the Department of Art and Department of Design Convocation at 12 p.m. on April 26

Boyack will perform at the Department of Dance, School of Music and Department of Theatre and Media Arts Convocation at 3 p.m. on April 26

Hales will perform at the School of Communications Convocation at 9 a.m. on April 26

In April’s Faith + Works lecture, School of Communications professor Kevin John discussed how people can overcome the notion that there is an inherent gap between religion and science and instead use both to discover truth.

Communications graduate students Kylie Brooks and Sara Bezdjian May took second place in the communications division of the Arthur W. Page Society Case Study Competition, which features original cases studies from students across the U.S. This is the third year in a row that graduate students from the School of Communications placed in the competition. Read more on the School of Communications website.

School of Communications professor Miles Romney was invited to present at the Broadcast Education Association (BEA) 2019 Conference in Las Vegas on April 6-9. Romney’s presentation will be based on his new book chapter titled 'Tune it or Stream it? Can Millennials and the Internet save ESPN?' Read more on the School of Communications website.

R. Gregory Christie, an award-winning illustrator, gave students a glimpse into his career

The Ballroom Dance Company will perform their “Ode to Joy” and “Ritmo del Corazon” medleys for the last time On April 12 and 13, 160 students will come together to present “BYU’s Ballroom Dance in Concert.” The performance promises to showcase equal measures of quality dancing and theatrical spectacle. “Typically in the discipline of ballroom dance, you see couples dancing,” said Curt Holman, artistic director of BYU’s Ballroom Dance Company. “It’s really rare to take a group of people and create an ensemble piece that has eight couples. In some of our beginning teams, we have 16 couples on the floor. When you’re able to do that, it becomes very entertaining for the audience.” Read more at this BYU Dance article.

BYU’s College of Fine Arts and Communications (CFAC) will hold the 2019 Convocation ceremonies on Friday, April 26 in the de Jong Concert Hall of the Harris Fine Arts Center (HFAC). Ceremonies will include student speakers, musical numbers and the presentation of master’s and baccalaureate diplomas to graduates. The ceremonies will be livestreamed on the CFAC website. University Commencement will take place on Thursday, April 25 at 10 a.m. in the Marriott Center. More information on commencement can be found here. The School of Communications Convocation will take place at 9 a.m. Speakers will include public relations student Spencer Norawong and news media student Camille Baker. There will also be a performance by School of Music student Christian Hales. The Department of Art and Department of Design Convocation will take place at 12 p.m. Speakers will include studio art students Chole Welch and Annelise Duque, graphic design student Sienna Forsyth and illustration student Melissa Kamba. There will also be a performance by School of Music student CJ Madsen. The Department of Dance, the School of Music and Department of Theatre and Media Arts Convocation will take place at 3 p.m. TMA student Channing Weir will speak. There will also be a performance by School of Music students Catherine Boyack and Morgan Hastings. Tickets are limited to four per graduate for general admission and will be available for in-person pick up at the Harris Fine Arts Center (HFAC) Ticket Office on the following dates: School of Communications | March 18-19 Department of Art/Department of Design | March 20-21 Department of Dance/School of Music/Department of Theatre and Media Arts (including MDT) | March 25-26 Late requests (any students that did not claim tickets on the previous dates) March 27-28 Students who are not on campus on their respective pickup date must contact their school or department to arrange pickup. After students have claimed their tickets, any additional tickets will be distributed at the HFAC Ticket Office on a first-come, first-served basis. This second round of ticket distribution will also be limited to a maximum of four additional tickets per student. For additional questions regarding convocation tickets, please contact cfacconvocation@byu.edu or read through the CFAC Convocation FAQs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKZDTmGU9A0&=&feature=youtu.be BYU School of Communications Professor Kevin Kelly's new film 'I Saw the Hosts of the Dead' will air Sunday, April 7 at 9 a.m. on BYUtv before “Music and the Spoken Word.” The film is a documentary — mixed with a little live action — that explores Joseph F. Smith’s vision and the background behind it. To read more about the inspiration behind the film and what it took to create it, visit the School of Communications website.