Fall Grad Spotlight: Hunter Thiede

Hunter Thiede, of Pickerington, Ohio, is graduating from the Scripps College of Communication with a bachelor’s degree in visual communication—multimedia and a technology and society certificate. 

What are your next steps or plans for the future?
After graduation, I will be working for the Ohio Legislative Service Commission. I have a fellowship with the Commission where I’ll be working on broadcasting for the Ohio statehouse. I’ll be editing videos for the Commission, assisting with podcasts, and helping with broadcasts. After the year-long fellowship, I plan on finding work in New York City or Washington, DC.

Why did you choose OHIO? 
I chose Ohio University because my friend from high school told me about the Visual Communication program. This friend and I went to a career center in high school for multimedia, and we both really enjoyed what we were doing in the program. We both chose different pathways. I wanted to study computer engineering at the University of Akron, and he went off to Ohio University to study integrated media in visual communication. After the first semester at Akron, I decided computer engineering wasn’t for me, and I messaged my high school friend to ask about the visual communication program.  He told me all about the program and the opportunities. I knew that Ohio University would be a better fit for me. 

Who were your favorite professors and how did they make an impact on your life?
It’s hard picking favorites because all the VisCom professors are great, but the ones that stand out are John Grimwade, Sam Girton, and Tim Goheen. John Grimwade was very down to earth and always gave off the feeling he’d do the best he could do for his students to help them succeed. Sam Girton would give advice on how to get a job, and he had wonderful connections. He was always a person I could turn to if I was having problems with something. Tim Goheen was my professor and advisor and the person who accepted me into the VisCom program. I am extremely thankful to him. He made adjusting to a new college and major easy for me. He guided me on what classes I needed to take to stay on track and told me about opportunities the college offered. If I ever had any questions that I needed answered, I knew I could email him about them, and he would always be quick to respond.

What was the hardest hill you had to climb (not counting Jeff Hill) at OHIO? And how did you overcome challenges or obstacles in your path?
Classes switching to all online because of COVID-19 was the biggest hill to climb. When classes switched to online, it was just a huge adjustment for everyone. Some professors didn’t teach class for a couple of weeks or didn’t assign anything, so motivation was at an all-time low. The culture shock of also working from home was a lot to handle. When professors started assigning work, my motivation was still low and procrastination was an all-time high. It was a lot to adjust to. I started to get used to working from home by assigning a location in the house where I’d do schoolwork. It helped my procrastination, but it was still hard to build motivation to do work. What helped with motivation was getting out of the house and walking or running around Athens. This is how I dealt with the lockdown until we started back up with in-person classes.

What are your favorite OHIO memories?
I have a lot of favorite Ohio University memories. Some of the memories are at the University and others are study abroad programs. One of my favorite memories was spending the week in Lucerne, Switzerland. I attended a conference with other VisCom students. It was a blast. At the conference, we worked with other students from around the globe on a project that centered on the city we were staying in. My favorite part of this trip was working with the students from other countries and getting to know the OU students I had not met before. We spent long hours working on our projects and the students all had such talent, great enthusiasm, and energy.

Another memory was spending a semester in Washington, DC through the Scripps in DC program. I loved it. The cohort we went with was super fun and had a sense of adventure.  We were always going on fun, little adventures--kayaking on the Potomac River, visiting Baltimore for the weekend, and ice skating on the National Mall. It was also a blast to see the rich art world that DC has to offer—musicals, orchestras, plays, and famous modern and historical art.

My final favorite memory was when I went to New York City with the Ohio University Multimedia Society. It was a lot of work planning this trip and it paid off. We got to visit New York City for a few days. We lined up a list of famous companies that we networked with, including Rolling Stone, The Wall Street Journal, CBS, Pier 59, and Jodi Jones. At the end of networking with all these companies, OHIO alumni grabbed dinner with us, and it was nice getting to see some former students that I hadn’t seen since my freshman year of college.

What’s the one thing you would tell a new OHIO student not to miss?
Take in what Ohio University has to offer, join clubs, study abroad, and participate in something new. Don’t rush your education and let those opportunities pass by.