PERSONAL ESSAY

Hello, my name is Jessica Engelhardt and this is my personal journey to becoming a communication scholar.  I grew up being more of an observer, never quite wanting to stand out from the crowd but when I have something to say, I surely would not hold back. I was a great student in grade school and quickly discovered I excelled more at English and writing than I did in science and math. After graduating from high school, I attended Central Washington University in Ellensburg, WA to study journalism. I took a journalism course in my first quarter and I started to second-guess if this was the path I wanted to continue on. Looking back, I believe this was due to the professor I had (who was also the department chair). In my first two years at Central, I did as many students would do – I took several different courses to help lead me towards what I really wanted to study and I unofficially changed majors several times; from English to history to recreation & tourism. Prior to completing my sophomore year, I took a public relations course on a whim and that decision ended up shaping the rest of my undergraduate journey. It did not take me long to determined public relations was the perfect fit for me. I learned so much about who I was as a communicator and the importance of communication in every aspect of life. My public relations professors and courses inspired me to strive for better and find an industry I was interested in. When I was little, I wanted to be an actress but with little acting skills and the likelihood being slim to none, I determined I wanted to work in entertainment public relations and represent actors.

After graduation in 2011, I was an unpaid summer intern for a film PR firm’s Seattle office as well as an event intern for a local soda company. I spent most of the summer walking around the University of Washington campus, flyering for free movies. Both positions were not what I expected, and I questioned whether or not entertainment PR was where I wanted to be after all. Two months later, I quit and started looking for full-time work in any industry that would hire me. A month later, I got the opportunity to work with the Seattle Thunderbirds Hockey Team as their game day public relations intern as well as a full-time position at The Boeing Company as a contract employee. The internship reenergized me and helped me put into practice the things I learned in college and the full-time contract position allowed me to make an income. My internship ended when the season was over, and I was hired on full-time at Boeing.

I have now spent my entire professional career with Boeing. I did not expect to end up at Boeing – I have more interest in flying on airplanes to a vacation destination rather than the manufacturing of airplanes. I told myself I would only work there for five years. Fast forward, to almost nine years and five job roles later, I am still working with the company. I have evolved from the person I was when I started working. I have participated in leadership courses, aligned myself with peers, managers, and executives who understand my work ethic, skills, and willingness to jump right into any task. My communication skills have also evolved in my career. I have learned the importance of understanding my audience, creating persuasive and clear content, and helped me establish new ways to build relationships with my peers and managers.

Throughout my career, I talked about wanting to pursue a graduate degree however, I had created several excuses – I’m too busy outside of work; I want to focus on work; I should wait a few years until I decided what I want to do in my career. This year, the excuses ran out; it was time and that is what brings me here. I am a graduate student at Gonzaga University pursuing a degree in Communication & Leadership Studies. I chose Gonzaga because of its flexibility to learn online but also the opportunity to participate in on-campus immersions as well as the variety of courses. I started the program two months into the pandemic, and I would not have had it any other way. Some days, school is what is keeping me going and helps provide an outlet from work and the news.

Although I have not ended up where I thought I would be five, ten, or even fifteen years ago, communication has been the one constant and pairing it with leadership studies will catapult me towards a better future and further evolve as a communication scholar.