WKU News

Doris Thomas never thought she would end up in the health care field.  "I am very squeamish just thinking about the word, ‘blood.’ However, I learned to look beyond the product and realize that there are organizational factors that must be present behind most products that are for public consumption," she said.

Doris Thomas, WKU Alumna and Communication Advisory Council member, completed her B.A. in Corporate and Organizational Communication and M.A. in Communication. She served as a spokesperson for the Commonwealth Health Corporation for 32 years, and as of April 2017, she is Vice President of Development and Community Outreach.

Thomas has enjoyed her career and benefited tremendously from her communication degree. She said she uses knowledge and skills she learned in class daily. One of the skills that she uses frequently is listening.

"Listening more than talking, and I mean active listening, is a skill. It is not an easy skill to learn, but it is much needed," she said.

Thomas feels the Department of Communication prepared her very well for her career. Overall, she believes most communication graduates are easy to communicate with, easy to work with, and are approachable.

Healthcare is one of the many fields where one can use a communication degree. With quite a few years of work experience under her belt, Thomas offers communication graduates some great advice:

"Look beyond the product and see where you might fit in with the bigger organizational picture. Keep learning, and form a good network of people you can trust. Be a truly engaged employee and representative of the company you work for. Remember, it takes everyone to make the organization what it is and what it will become."

The Department of Communication loves to hear about alumni success.  We are always looking for stories to encourage and inspire our students. If you would like to share your story please contact the Communication Department Head, Dr. Sterk at helen.sterk@wku.edu.

~Tori Bowles, Student