Tag Archives: Avery Jackson

Interning for Crop-Paper-Scissors

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By Avery Jackson

I need to brag for a minute; I just landed an internship that almost EVERY girl in my Advanced Public Relations class seemed to want. I am now the official intern for Crop-Paper-Scissors, a local craft store that specializes in paper products including scrapbooking, invitations and stationary. A few girls had already interviewed when I came into the store, and a bunch more had emailed and called. She hired me after a two-hour interview. I didn’t think I could get ANY more excited until I realized I would get to do crafts as part of my job description! I like to think of myself as a creative/crafty person, so this job couldn’t have been better.

So far I have been put in charge of the store’s blog, Facebook, Twitter, parts of the online store, and soon-to-be Pinterest account. I also did the décor for Valentine’s Day in the store’s windows! Soon, I will be helping manage the online store, designing invitations and other fun stuff!

Doing an internship and 18 hours of school work is challenging, but I am really loving what I’m doing! These photos show how I laid out the stores merchandise as well as some of the paper things I made for frames and decoration!

I am loving life (Even if it starts at six a.m. and doesn’t end till three or four hours before).

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Starting the Spring Semester Right

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By Avery Jackson

I am so glad to be back at Baylor! Don’t get me wrong; I LOVE being home in Indiana, but my friends, my art and my cat are all here in Waco now. All that to say, my “rest” is over! Time to buckle down, and do some work! I have 18 hours worth of classes to succeed in, as well as an internship for my Advanced Public Relations class (more on that later).

My favorite class so far is Drawling 1. It was a total God thing that I was able to get in and take it! I am learning how to draw unusual 3D objects. I always tell soon-to-be-freshmen that when they come to Baylor, they need to take one class within the area of study they think they want to do, one class they have to do, and one class in which they are just really interested. I try to do that every semester, and its worked so far!

I know your senioritis has REALLY kicked in by now, but you’re almost done! Trust me. College is nothing like high school, and you’ll actually love what you do here! Hang in there!

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like…Finals!

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By Avery Jackson

That time of year is upon us! Yes, that’s right. IT’S FINALS WEEK!

As I procrastinate on my harder studies by doing my “easier” homework assignments, I was thinking about ways to make studying a little more fruitful. And I know y’all are still in high school, but you guys have finals too. Here are a few helpful tips to studying that I have been using for a while. Hope they help!

1. Take a 10 minute break every hour, so your brain doesn’t become a fried egg.

2. Switch subjects every two hours. (I don’t know why, maybe it makes you feel less frustrated).

3. Get six to nine hours of sleep at night! This helps boost long-term memory!

4. Have a regular sleep schedule. Your body LOVES routine, even if you are spontaneous.

5. This one is my favorite: EAT CARBS! Protein is very lean, and while it is very beneficial to you, carbs provide a boost of energy to your brain. So yes, eat that cookie!

6. Review harder concepts right before you go to bed. Not only will it bore you to sleep, but also your brain will store that information first.

7. EXERCISE! Take a walk or go for a run! This will get some of those lethargic tendencies you feel after you sit for a while to dissipate and allow you to focus better. Besides, you can take your flash cards or book to the gym with you and read while you walk on the treadmill.

Hope these help! Now back to your work! 🙂

My Final Summer

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By Avery Jackson

I have been in college four years now, and I have one more left! Since I’ve had the chance to stay in school so long, I have been afforded WAY more opportunities than the average college student. I was able to study abroad in Ireland as a freshman at my first university, and when I transferred to Baylor my sophomore year, I was able to have multiple internships and other travel opportunities.

Throughout college, all I have heard professors talk about and encourage students to do is internships!

What is an internship? An internships is an opportunity to work for a company or organization in your area of study for a month or two during the summer. The experience you get from your time on the job is priceless! You actually get the chance to see if what you are studying in college is really right for you!

I have had two big internships now, both of which involved sales and marketing. For my first internship, I sold and delivered dog food in a giant box truck to small farm stores. I also attended fairs, where I would sit at a booth for HOURS and pass out samples of dog food. During that summer, I worked unusual hours. I was normally awake at seven to load my box truck, and I would begin my deliveries by eight. Then, I would return home by about one or two for a break. By five or six, I would head to the fair of the week to talk to people about their dogs and what food would be right for their canine companion.

My second internship was this past summer with Southwestern Advantage. I basically went door-to-door in one of the poorest areas of Pennsylvania and sold children’s books and study tools. I ran my own business, which meant I set my hours, bought the books myself and paid for shipping and taxes. I worked 6 days a week, which equated to about 82 to 84 hours. By the end of the summer, I was ranked in the top five percent of sales representatives in the company.

Both internships taught me better people skills, how to communicate under stressful situations and helped me grow as a person! I also made a lot of money (ALWAYS a plus!). This coming semester, I will have an internship in public relations on top of my class load! I am very excited!

I think EVERY student should have at least one internship under their belt before they graduate (although two or three wouldn’t hurt). It’s a lot of fun, and you learn so much about what you are passionate about and what you see yourself doing after school!

Baylor Halloween

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By Avery Jackson

I love Halloween at Baylor! In the classrooms, most professors give out candy and some even cancel class! The dining halls always have Halloween treats and decorations, and it seems like everyone throws their own party! I was no different.

I hosted my second annual “Day-After-Halloween-Party” this past Friday. I have an 8 a.m.
Spanish class on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, so there was no way I could do anything on Halloween night since it fell on a Thursday. BUT, Friday was fair game!

I live right behind Waco Hall in Jamestown apartments. It’s a pretty ideal spot to have people over after class because you can walk from campus. Basically everyone knows where I live, and I always have people coming in and out. I invited everyone I knew to the party, and in anticipation for the turn out, I baked about 100 cupcakes! I had a cinnamon, vanilla, chocolate chip cupcake with a buttercream icing, a pumpkin with a cinnamon cream cheese icing and a Spanish double chocolate cupcake with a buttercream icing! Lets just say they were amazing!

The turn out was awesome, and I got rid of MOST of the cupcakes! I loved having my best friends all in one spot, and I even met some new faces. And, since costumes were encouraged, it made the atmosphere even more fun!

Baylor is always awesome around holidays, but Halloween may be one of my favorites simply because everyone can relate to it out of sheer fun. I mean, who doesn’t love candy and costumes? I think Baylor students may love dressing up more than the professors’ kids!

Writing for Journalism

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By Avery Jackson

I am a Public Relations major, and I love it! A lot of the time, I am assigned to write stories about interesting people that could be published in a magazine or newspaper. I wrote this piece on my best friend, Ashley Sunderman. Basically, I interviewed her and asked her about herself and her time at Baylor. It’s not supposed to be a serious piece, so I wrote it pretty informally!

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As a junior at Baylor, Ashley Sunderman, is every guys’ dream girl (and yes, she is currently single!).

“I’m normally reading Harry Potter or watching Dr. Who. Last week, I bought a Star Trek T-shirt,” she laughed. “I can’t help it, I’m a nerd at heart!”

Standing outside of her favorite coffee shop, Ashley debates if she needs her caffeine or a smoothie.

Not one to be known as a “girly girl,” Ashley is normally seen wearing her combat boots and carrying a book about exercise physiology. I got the chance to talk to her in between her busy class schedule of eighteen hours and her two part-time jobs.

“I work for a real estate broker as his personal assistant. I also take care of medically-fragile children. There is one eight-year-old boy that I watch. I’m basically a glorified babysitter. I entertain him, change his diapers and give him baths,” she said. “He has spina bifida, which is a birth defect involving the spinal cord. Even though he isn’t cognitively developed enough to talk back, he gets his thoughts across and is hilarious!”

Recently, Ashley made the decision to become a nursing major.  She attributes the Baylor professors and classes as the main things that have helped her with this decision.

Getting all of her studying done along with classes, activities and work can be pretty challenging for Ashley.

“Baylor has given me a lot of tools that I’m going to use in the real world,” she said as she smiled. “It has helped me learn to manage my time so much more effectively, and the professors really care about me as a person, not just another student.”

After graduating from high school in Troy, Texas, Ashley had her pick of colleges. Because of her academic standing and high school activities, several schools offered her a lot of scholarship money.

“I liked Baylor the best because the atmosphere and campus was pretty awesome. The girl in me also loved of the beauty of Baylor.”

It also helped that she knew several of the girls on the Baylor Spirit Squad, which she joined as a sophomore.

The normal activity Ashley and I do when we get together: Laugh!

“I got to cheer on the field at all the home football games at the Floyd Casey stadium. I loved it!”

Ashley is one of my favorite people on the Baylor campus because she shows real Baylor spirit and seems to be a super woman. She works hard in everything she does from cheer and class to family and work. But, she attributes Baylor to being one of the most supporting roles in her life.

“Baylor is a really helpful university because they want you to succeed! They push you to excel and be the best you that you can be.”

Ansel Adams Comes to Baylor

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By Avery Jackson

Something I love about Baylor University is the diversity it offers. There are always interesting discussions to attend, speakers to hear and art galleries to view. This is just one of the reasons I decided to transfer to Baylor. Currently, Baylor is featuring some of the work of famous photographer and environmentalist Ansel Adams in the Martin Museum of Art.

Not only is Baylor showing the original black and white prints Adams produced more than 50 years ago, but there was also a lecture by Rebecca Senf, the curator of photography with the University of Arizona and the Ansel Adams Archive, to talk about Adams’ life and how he fell in love with photography!

It was a free event, so EVERYONE came! Baylor encourages students and faculty to interact both in and out of the classroom. In other bigger schools, students are simply seen as numbers. At Baylor, I’ve found that the professors remember you personally (another great reason why I transferred to Baylor).  At the event, I was able to get a couple of professors’ take on the photography. I loved hearing the perspective of Curtis Callaway, who teaches photography in the journalism department. By trailing behind a few of the professors—as well as students—who knew a lot about photography, I was able to learn a little about lighting and subject placement.

I always tell incoming freshmen to go to as many Baylor hosted events as possible, even if it isn’t a part of their major. I am not an art or history major, but learning about Ansel Adams and his work was fascinating! I was also able to meet some professors in my department of study (journalism) and meet other people interested in photography!

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(Left to right) Photography Teaching Assistant Kyle Beam, Me, Kelsey Wesolick, Sara Johnson and Baylor Photography Professor Curtis Callaway.