Student Profile
April Van Cleve
April Van Cleve is passionate about speech communication.
After graduating in May 2010, the Poplarville native plans to attend graduate school pursing a master’s degree in speech communication. As a senior speech communication major, she is one step closer to achieving that goal since the National Speakers Association awarded her the Robert Cavett Memorial Scholarship.
I found out about the scholarship from my professor," she said. "I thought that if I got it, I could bring some recognition to the Speech Communication department."
As a scholarship recipient, Van Cleve will receive $5,000 for college expenses for one year. NSA scholarships are highly competitive. This year, Van Cleve is one of only 4 scholarship recipients in the nation selected for the 2009-10 academic year. NSA scholarships are given only to potential professional speakers, trainers or speech educators that want to use their skills to improve the lives of others.
When she is not in class or studying, she spends her free time helping Southern Miss faculty and students with their oral presentations at the Speaking Center.
"As a peer counselor, I help students and faculty members create or polish their oral presentations."
After finishing graduate school, her ultimate career goal is to work in the communication department of an organization or business. She feels the diverse course offerings and supportive faculty at Southern Miss have prepared her for the next step.
"My department is small, but that’s a good thing because they make you feel like you’re at home," she said. "Speech communication is much more than public speaking and I hope that with this award I can bring some awareness to that."
The Southern Miss Department of Speech Communication is dedicated to offering students an exciting and relevant program of study examining how communication fosters success in personal relationships, business settings and society. Visit the Web site at www.usm.edu/speech to learn more.
