My Last Major Class

by Travis Rocha

I have had help at Christopher Newport every step of the way. To complete my major and graduate on time, I had both a major and core adviser assigned to me, as does every Captain. Though, even with all of their wisdom and guidance, there are still some things we have to work out for ourselves. For example, choosing your major in the first place. Some students come into college and know exactly what they want to major in, so it’s easy to form a plan early, but most students end up trying their hand at a few different subjects to figure out what suits them best. Personally, it took me a couple years to figure out exactly what I wanted to study at Christopher Newport but I eventually settled on communication. It was certainly a long road, but I’m happy to say I am finally enrolled in the senior seminar for the major, the last class I need to finish the program.

Senior seminars are typically a much different type of class than anything else at Christopher Newport. Similar to other upper-level classes, it’s discussion-based, but instead of having lots of tests, assignments and essays throughout, there’s usually just one big assignment that matters: the research paper. This is a paper based entirely on your own original ideas and critiques that draws upon all of the previous classes you’ve taken in the department. Until I walked into my first day of class, to me, this paper was a distant notion I never spent too much time considering, choosing to live in ignorance. Unfortunately, now it’s not so distant at all and it’s time to buckle down and finish strong!

While I fully acknowledge the arduous task ahead of me, I’m not discouraged because I have a fantastic professor who I am positive will guide me and my classmates through the research process and foster our individual success. When I look back on the communications classes I’ve taken (even the ones I dozed off in) it’s sad to think that I am now enrolled in my last class for the department. I shudder when I reminisce about all of the many, many essays I had to write in the years prior to bring me to this point, but I am certainly proud of all the work I have done that brought me here.