COM Grad Heads Back to the Classroom

Three years ago, Kalie Calder-Meyer graduated from CSUDH with a B.A. in Communications with a Media Studies concentration and the Communications Department will always be very special to her.

“My experience at CSUDH can only be summarized as the early days of SNL,” said Calder-Meyer. “We were young and adventurous, and we had the run of the Communications Department. It felt as if the professors encouraged us to explore our passion. There are only warm feelings when looking back.”

Calder-Meyer’s internship at Focus Features was extended into the summer after graduation in the post-production department. After almost a year at Focus, Calder-Meyer reassessed the game plan she had for her future and took a step back to start a family. Calder-Meyer is now a new mother to a baby girl, but that brief intermission has not halted her educational career.

“I understood how important my professors were to my success, which is why I am currently enrolled in a teaching credential program,” said Calder-Meyer.

Calder-Meyer is currently pursuing her Multiple Subject Teaching Credentials with plans to become a third-grade teacher, a goal different from her dream job: a writer for Saturday Night Live.

“CSUDH taught me to be confident in myself, to know that it is okay to ask for help and to cherish your time,” said Calder-Meyer.

For current Communications students, Calder-Meyer has words of advice, “I know they want to graduate and get going with their careers, but you will miss this time. Your colleagues and professors are a support system, and you can use them when you are looking for a job. Ask your counselors for advice and go get your resume looked at in the resource department on campus.”