Student Success Stories: Emme Hornung
Meet Emme Hornung, a junior Communication Studies major who recently shared her unique career and education journey with us! 
I took a gap year (multiplied by 5) after earning my Associate of Arts and Science degree from University of Milwaukee at Washington County. In those 5 years, I constantly mulled over my unfinished degree, but I had no idea what to study, and I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to balance a full-time course load on top of my full-time job. One day, I saw the quote, “time will pass anyways.” In another 5 years, I could either have a bachelor’s degree, or I could still be mulling over not having one. The time would pass either way, so I might as well dive in and finish it! I applied to UWO the next day.
I currently work as the production coordinator for EAA’s Sport Aviation magazine, so every step of the magazine production 
process goes through me, though I am not actually involved in the steps (think of it like a traffic cop). Being I had no publication experience or even the desired bachelor’s degree, I credit getting this job to networking. I joined EAA in an entry level role in their print/mail center with the hopes of growth in the organization, and in a year’s time, I was offered my current job in the publications department by the managing editor. He had noted that every passing interaction we had was a good one, and it left a great impression on him apparently! Building strong relationships with anyone you work with is so important, as I am learning in my Communication Studies major, and those relationships can open opportunities that may otherwise be closed off.
Thanks to UWO’s accelerated online program, I am able to study a full course load in a way that fits in with a full-time job and everything else that life requires. It’s a lot to balance, but I definitely couldn’t do it if I was a traditional student. I was especially excited to find out about the L&S Career Internship elective. With this elective, I have been able to utilize my job at EAA to further explore the field of journalism and magazine production, all while earning credit towards my degree. With the wonderful support of my managing editor and my UWO career advisor, I set goals to develop skill and confidence in interviewing subjects, writing for our audience, copyediting, and in-depth knowledge of magazine production (on top of my regular job duties, of course).
Since engaging in this internship opportunity, I have become an even bigger asset to EAA’s publications team and have a clear path for growth; I help with much of the copyediting, I have learned a great deal about magazine production, feel much more comfortable interviewing people, and I rediscovered a love for writing that was forgotten since middle school. I could not have predicted any of this when I accepted my managing editor’s job offer, but I couldn’t be more excited to see what else EAA and UWO have in store for me as I continue my professional journey.
Thank you for sharing your story with us, Emme!