The First Amendment Rocks!

I am Justina Bucceri, a senior who is majoring in Communications and minoring in Journalism. My focus is PR, hopefully in the near future I receive a public relations job in the music industry. Over the summer I worked as an event intern at CBS Radio, which is WNCX, WKRK, WDOK and WQAL in Cleveland. I helped the NTR Director with planning events and worked as a street team member for the Promotions Director. Also, I am originally from Twinsburg, Ohio and ironically I have twin siblings.

However, at BGSU, I am extremely involved on campus with several organizations. It keeps me very busy! I love playing and watching sports, especially my hometown teams- Cleveland Browns, Indians and Cavaliers.. but I can’t forget about Ohio State either!

Hi as it says above my name is Max Householder. I am a Junior sport management major with a minor in journalism. I’m from Swanton, Ohio which is a small farm town about 40 minutes north of here. My ultimate goal is to become either a sports broadcaster or sports writer, I’m still trying to figure out which avenue is best. I am the youngest of five kids with two of my siblings being half siblings. My hobbies include both playing and watching sports as well as listening to music and hanging with friends.

I am a senior at the University and I am majoring in print journalism (against all seeming sanity) and with my major I carry a minor of political science. I grew up in the township of a small town called Grand Rapids, Ohio, located roughly 20 minutes west of Bowling Green, and I graduated from Otsego High School in Tontogany, Ohio in 2005. I enrolled in classes at Owens Community College the following fall and received from there my associates degree in criminal justice in May of 2008.

After graduating from Owens I took some time off school (as I have had a history of doing, explaining my persisting student status to date) so that I could work and accumulate some funds before coming to Bowling Green State University as a journalism major in the fall of 2009. To put it simply, I have had a far greater enthusiasm for this educational pathway than the one in which I received my first degree.

I have written a respectable number of articles for the BG News, with the majority focusing on the music scene in Bowling Green and the surrounding area. Articles written include profiles of local musicians/bands, previews of area concerts as well as feature stories of shows at Bowling Green venues. I cannot, however, guarantee the appearance of my name in any issues of the paper for this academic year as an unfortunate circumstance of taking 18 credit hours and working full time. I intend to try, but the odds of my name in a byline are slim.

I will be graduating with my bachelors degree this May, after which time I would greatly enjoy the opportunity to write for any news entity that can provide me the opportunity to cover music and art, though any paycheck with large enough numbers before its zeros is likely to pique my interest.

My involvement with music does not end with the journalistic attention I have paid it – I too play a variety of instruments, with guitar and percussion taking the largest shares of my focus, and my addiction to my geet box is likely the single greatest threat to me completing my assignments. I enjoy a wide swath of the available musical genres, but my focus most heavily rests with blues, bluegrass, reggae and ambient-influenced rock. As part of an online journalism course I took last spring, I do possess a blog related to my musical interests, titled Bleed Sound, which I invite you to tab through if you wish.

I am also an avid outdoorsman and stubborn environmentalist, and I have been hunting and fishing for nearly the entire reach of my memory. I detest PETA with every fiber of my being.

Class should be fun and I encourage anyone who wants to jam to get at me. Even if you have limited musical talent, you could at least shake some maracas.

PEACE

Hello All! My name is Brian Bohnert and I am a fifth year senior here at the beautiful Bowling Green State University. I am majoring in Print Journalism with a minor in Film Production. I graduated high school in 2007 and went to Owens Community College for three years where I earned my Associate of Arts Degree. Then, I had the immense pleasure of transferring here to take care of all of my major and minor courses.

As far as journalism experience goes, I am the current an Intern/City Beat Reporter for the BG News and the President of the Online News Association (BGSU Chapter). An interesting little tidbit of information about my life and journalism: My first journalism class was JOURNALISM 100 in high school and that is where I met my girlfriend whom I have been with for over five and a half years now … Fate, anyone?

I have an extreme passion for many things in my life: Writing, Family, Friends, My Girlfriend, Music, Sports, Exercise and all things Horror Movies. The cheesier, the better. When I’m not writing up a storm and working toward my Pulitzer, I can typically be found in the BGSU Rec Center or in front of any large television, rooting on my SAN DIEGO CHARGERS!!!

Pictured Below is me on my AWESOME Graduation Day from Owens. Yay!

Yeah, you guessed it. I think I'm pretty awesome in this picture.

Since women’s issues are so close to my heart, I wanted to share a bit about the historic significance of today.

Today is Women’s Equality Day, the day that celebrates the certification of the 19th Amendment. What is more of a barrier to free speech than not having the ability to participate in one’s own government? Thanks to the perseverance, courage, and hard work of those who believed in equality, women were given their voice in 1920, making this the 91st anniversary of that historic amendment.

The women (and men) who fought for the 19th Amendment did so under much social disapproval. They handed out fliers, held parades, and even picketed outside the White House. Authorities attempted to silence some under charges of disturbances and obstructing traffic. These women were arrested and taken to a workhouse. The prisoners staged hunger strikes, demanding that they were political prisoners and should be treated accordingly. They were beaten, abused, and brutally force-fed. Still, the women would not stop speaking out. These activists used their rights to freedom of speech to the extreme, refusing to be silenced until their goal was achieved.

When I reflect on stories like this, I can’t help but wonder if we as citizens– male and female  –use our Constitutional Rights to the fullest. So often, we seem content to sit back and complain rather than speak up and demand change. Our right to speak our minds is protected by the 1st Amendment. If courageous people throughout history had just sat around and complained, America would not be what it is today. Instead, these people stood for free speech and freedom with their very lives. Their belief that all citizens should have a voice was so vital to their existence that they took incredible risks to be heard. Their voices created change and ours can, too.

Hello all,

My name is Andrea Sabo, but all my friends call me Andie. I am Senior Journalism (PR) major with a minor in Marketing.  I am really looking forward to finishing my Senior year and beginning my career. Originally from Cincinnati and although I looked at several colleges I chose BG because I had a good feeling about it, so far I am happy with my decision. After school I would love to live in big city like Seattle, Chicago or Indianapolis.

In the picture I included is a picture of me and my dog, Roxy. She is a bundle of joy but is also a hand full. Although she is 95 lbs she acts like she is 5 lbs and if you let her she will plop down on your lap. She is also very friendly so if you see us walking around campus feel free to say hi and pet her.

Hello everyone. My name is Jess. Yes, just call me Jess. I am a multi-year senior at BGSU. I am majoring in journalism and minoring photgraphy. I really enjoy sutdying the two courses together as I think they go hand in hand. I also work from ten-thirty at night until six-thirty in the morning at Sauder Woodworking. The job may only be temporary, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed they hire me. I’m really looking forward to the discussion we’ll have in class and on this blog!

Hello, My name is Courtney Wheaton. I absolutely love people and telling a great story from time to time. I enjoy making / viewing art and listening to music ..right now I’m bumping the black keys pretty heavily. I am a Journalism major/ VCT minor. My two career choices allow me to write, be on-air, and be creative all at the same time! If you want to find me you’ll see me at BG 24 meeting or two. Its my last year so I have to make it count. I also like long walks on the beach and candlelit dinners…

Hello,

my name is Nate Doolin. I am a senior sport management major. I am currently minoring in journalism and have developed my career path towards the public relations field. My career goal is to be a public relations director for a minor league baseball team. I am currently the president of Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) for the BGSU chapter. I hold additional leadership positions in Phi Kappa Psi where I serve as the public relations and alumni chairman. I have assisted the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in several events and tournaments in the past with the media relations department. I am a four-year student assistant for the BGSU Athletic Communications Department. I have also held the positions as public relations director for BG-24 and secretary of my fraternity.

I am a native of Cincinnati, Ohio and devote my fanhood to the Cincinnati Reds. My hobbies include tennis, endurance running, reading the newspaper, and attending athletic events.

Peter’s Placebo:An ounce of image is worth a pound of performance  

Hey there! My name is Erik and this is my fifth (and hopefully *final*) year at BGSU. My major is in Asian Studies and I am a Journalism minor. (Getting myself one of those “swiss army knife” educations.)  I like to write and am very into language/linguistics/syntax and all of that nerdy stuff about how language works. Someday, I hope to get a job either writing/editing/grammar nazi-ing for a publication, proofreading translated documents, translating Japanese to English (and/or vice versa) or teaching English in Japan… but mostly, I would just like to be employed after I leave BG. Who doesn’t?

I’m looking forward to learning a great deal about the Journalism field from this class. So far, so good!

Oh. Here’s a picture:

By the way… after spending any remote amount of time in Japan, you’ll start throwing out peace signs in just about every picture and you won’t even realize it. Seriously.