Geneseo Storyteller: Karen Woodward '84

Patricia, Mary and Karen '84

I liked the size and the campus was beautiful. It was a good fit for me and I could picture myself there. The culture and everything it offered was so exciting to me. Academically Geneseo was a very different school when I attended, and it's much higher caliber now. They've been able to accept stronger students and grow along with them. Geneseo really exposed me to all the different areas of communication that I could go into after I graduated. I really liked the way the major was set up because it gave me a breadth of exposure to different types of jobs. It was a valuable experience because I figured out what areas of communications I wasn't interested in. I did not want to go into radio or TV, but I really liked public relations and marketing, and I was exposed to both. I moved to Boston, Massachusetts after graduation and my first job was as a reservationist at a big hotel, which didn't have much to do with my degree, but it was a way to keep me employed while I looked for a communications position. Then I had a job at the Ad Club helping to produce the Hatch Awards, which is an award program for excellence in advertising including TV commercials and print campaigns. After that I had a job at a PR firm for four years. Eventually I ended up doing graphic design for a biotech company, creating print marketing, and a lot of presentations. My last full-time position in an office was as a presentation designer at a huge marketing firm. I became a freelance graphic designer for the rest of my career. In 1999 I had my second child. I still keep in touch and get together with friends I made at Geneseo. I think the university really fosters lifelong friendships and we have a lot of fun remembering our college days. One of the best things about Geneseo is that it's such an amazing education at an accessible price. I would tell anybody to consider it if they're thinking of attending a private university. It's a gorgeous campus and I had an amazing experience there.