Communication studies senior Alex Clune shows that it is OK to change your major a few times before finding your dream career.
“I had previously switched my major four times before I found something I truly enjoyed. I decided to give communication studies a try, and it was the best decision of my college career,” said Clune, a native of Mount Airy, Md. “The department’s faculty are all experts in their field, and they truly care about the success and development of their students. Any department with faculty and staff that’s willing to take time out of their days to help students is a department I want to be a part of.”
While a WVU student, Clune has played for the WVU Rugby Team and was the battalion executive officer for Army ROTC. He has also volunteered as an Eberly College Student Ambassador.
“The community and feeling of belonging here at WVU is truly unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced,” Clune said. “Whether it is the eagerness of faculty and staff to engage students in the curriculum or the picturesque arm over shoulder singing of Country Roads with thousands of strangers at the end of football and basketball games, I will always feel like Morgantown is my home.”
As he reflects back on his time at WVU, the place Clune will miss most is his favorite place to study on campus—the Mountainlair Games Area.
“The best kept secret study spot on campus is definitely the bowling alley in the bottom of the Mountainlair,” Clune said. “They have tons of outlets, and it’s surprisingly quiet during most of the day. It's one of the only places during finals week where you can get a table.”
After graduation, Clune will commission in the United States Army as an infantry officer. He was also named a Distinguished Military Graduate, a distinction awarded to the top 20 percent of ROTC seniors.
“Communication is the bedrock of effective leadership, and majoring in communication studies has enabled me to become a confident communicator,” Clune said. “I now have a greater understanding of what it means to be competent in my social abilities, and I look forward to extrapolating all that I’ve learned in my Army career and traveling to a lot of different places in the world where I can sport the flying WV.”
