We’re breaking new ground with today’s “Alumni Spotlight” because for the first time ever we are profiling an alum who is now a professor! That’s right, 2004 Communication Studies graduate Jessica Robles is now Professor Jessica Robles, PhD, a lecturer in the Department of Communication at the University of New Hampshire! Let’s catch up with her!
Professor Jessica Robles, '04 COMS grad!
I asked Jessica, I mean, Professor Robles, to tell us how she knew she wanted to become a professor. “I discovered I loved doing research in my first year as an undergrad (which was actually at UCSD–I transferred to USF my second year). There was something about spending hours in the library among stacks of books (that probably sounds so quaint in this era of internet research) that really delighted me. I’ve always loved to learn. And I’ve always had a fascination with how people use language and how communication can be used to improve relationships and society. After being in graduate school and teaching for the first time, I realized I enjoyed teaching as well! So becoming a professor suddenly seemed perfect all-around, and not just because it gave me a chance to get paid to do things I already enjoyed doing (reading, writing).”
Because we always have several students each year interested in graduate school, I also asked Jessica to tell us about how she decided where to attend grad school. “My wonderful mentors at USF helped a lot with this decision. For my PhD the main decision was between UCLA and the University of Colorado at Boulder. Both have top departments in the area of communication in which I was most fascinated (language and social interaction) and it was an extremely difficult decision. Ultimately I went with Colorado for a few reasons (I wanted to live in a new place; they offered more teaching experience; they offered an RA appointment for the summer; etc.). I think I would have done very well at UCLA but knowing what I know now, Colorado has turned out to have been the right choice.”
Indeed it was! Jessica’s dissertation was entitled “The Interactive Achievement of Morality in Everyday Talk: A Discourse Analysis of Moral Practices and Problems in Interpersonal Relationships.” Her main research area is discourse analysis and language and social interaction. She studies how people communicate in everyday life by recording and analyzing ordinary conversations. In particular she is interested in moral issues and ethical communication, as well as the role of relational and cultural aspects of communication. She teaches classes in interpersonal communication, relationships. language use, identities, gender, culture.
What does Jessica like about being a professor? “One thing I love about teaching is when students find something about the class that really intrigues or excites them. I have a great time talking to students about how what they learn relates to their everyday lives. But there are so many things I love about my job. For one thing, there is enormous flexibility in terms of how you allocate your time. Also, I love conferences and getting to travel to different parts of the US and the world.”
I also asked her to share any advice she has for other students interested in going to graduate school. “I don’t think I would have been nearly as successful getting to, and being in, graduate school if it hadn’t been for my mentors at USF. In addition to various professors of mine who were so encouraging and supportive across the campus, my professors and people I worked with later in the Communication Department at USF (Chris Kamrath, Marco Jacquemet, Evelyn Ho) helped a lot with making the decision to go to graduate school, choosing schools to apply to, and writing recommendation letters. Having smart, kind people who believe in you on your side is far more important than stressing out over tenths of a percentage in a GPA.”
Thanks to Jessica for sharing her experience with us! Professors love it when great students go on to become Communication Studies professors, so it is wonderful for us to hear back from Jessica, a now fellow professor!
