{"id":16362,"date":"2016-04-27T09:19:35","date_gmt":"2016-04-27T13:19:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/news\/article.php?ArticleID=16362"},"modified":"2016-04-27T09:19:35","modified_gmt":"2016-04-27T13:19:35","slug":"16362_joseph-christensen-09-15-ma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/2016\/04\/27\/16362_joseph-christensen-09-15-ma\/","title":{"rendered":"Joseph Christensen ’09, 15 MA"},"content":{"rendered":"

Joseph Christensen \u201909, \u201915 MA graduated from Montclair State University with a BA in Theatre Studies, spending his time onstage and backstage. His return to Montclair State for graduate studies followed his passion for communication and creating media. Ever the active student, as an undergraduate you could likely find him rehearsing for a production, a Montclair State Chorale concert or catching up on Honors Program assignments. Christensen\u2019s graduate studies equally filled up with responsibilities as a Teaching Assistant and later a Graduate Assistant. Remembering the wisdom of Professor Heather Buchanan on life being \u201cfeast and famine,\u201d Christensen noted that he got many lessons for all the time put in, \u201calbeit still figuring out work\/life balance,\u201d he joked.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Christensen enjoyed his graduate program very much and the community he built as a graduate student. Comparing his undergraduate and graduate experiences, each developed a sense of community, but graduate studies provide a more formal organizational approach. \u201cGraduate education is often a very different experience than what people may encounter in undergraduate studies (more reading, work, and outside responsibilities), but if everyone comes together as we were able to do, it can provide a very supportive community atmosphere.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While remembering the many contributions of faculty and staff from the College of the Arts, School of Communication and Media, and others, Christensen wishes to thank everyone who shared their time on campus. \u201cI find it hard to single out individuals as the strength of my programs were built on a community of collaboration, both in theater and communication. I have a deep admiration for each person who joined my journey, and if I am a better individual in my life and work, it is due to the village of faculty, staff, and students.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Christensen is also a member of the Recent Alumni Network (RAN) Committee. \u201cOn the RAN Committee, I believe I am one of the early adopters. Joining the RAN Committee may have been inevitable as I\u2019ve been described as \u2018connected,\u2019 which really makes sense because I seem to build bridges wherever I go in life,\u201d says Christensen.<\/span><\/p>\n

For Christensen, Montclair State University is more than a place you attend for four years. \u201cThe Montclair State community is a place to build connections and friendships over the years,\u201d says Christensen. \u201cThat is why it is important for me to keep the community strong not only for current students but also for future generations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Currently, Christensen works with clients in STEM sectors, providing a variety of communication strategies and support. As for his future aspirations, he would like to work in larger scale brand management, corporate communications, and crisis response.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe worst questions are the ones not asked when you really could learn more. Never stop learning and pushing yourself as you may find your next opportunity or interest in a place you never expected,\u201d are just some of Christensen\u2019s words of wisdom for current students.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Communications in the STEM Sector<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":116362,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-77_alumni-spotlight"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16362"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16362\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116362"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}