Keeping Up with Kim (De Jesus)

In this post, you’ll get to know Kim De Jesus, class of 2021. Not to be confused with the Kardashian–she’s much cooler, I promise!

By Dale 08-21-2018

Kim is a motion pictures major on the business track with a minor in marketing. She’s a Foote Fellow, a Hammond Scholar, and she likes long romantic walks to the fridge. Read on to learn more about her experiences in the classroom!

Q: How did you decide on your major?

A: For a very long time, I thought I would be a STEM major because I had a natural affinity towards STEM. But I was also in a performing arts program for TV production in high school. We did everything from morning shows to film festivals. We even traveled across the country to compete! When it came down to applying for college, and I realized that while I was good at STEM, my heart was in TV production.

Q: Why did you decide to minor in marketing?

A: I love Apple commercials and I’m a sucker for really nice branding and packaging. I wanted to learn more about the strategy behind it. I started working as a digital marketing strategy assistant on campus for the division of Enrollment Management, and that really sparked my interest in marketing. So I decided to minor in it!

Q: What’s the coolest class you’ve taken so far?

A: Writing for the Digital Age. Writing has never been "my thing" but the professor made a lot of real-world applications, so we weren’t just writing your typical five-paragraph essays. It was a lot more about how to write press releases and blog posts. It was like what I imagine a creative writing class to be, which I liked. The professor himself was also amazing. You could tell that he cared about his students and wanted us to improve in our writing.

Q: Do you have a favorite professor? Why?

A: Yes, he taught “Writing for the Digital Age”! My favorite class and my favorite professor go hand in hand. He was very dynamic–you never did the same exact thing you did the previous class. He really understood you as a student; he was very empathetic to what kinds of things we were going through. He was older but could still relate to us as students.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about being a ’Cane?

A: Honestly, I love all the free stuff we get on campus. All the shirts, all the water bottles, I’m a sucker for all of that stuff. That being said, UM is a great place to be because there’s a great energy on campus, it’s lively, but you’re still getting work done. There’s a good balance.

Q: What academic resource has been most useful to you?

A: The School of Communication has a lot of opportunities where you can network with media outlets and media companies. For example, last spring, they held the Communication Meet-Up. I got to network with so many different companies and even got feedback on my resume.

Q: What surprised you most about UM?

A: The amount of resources we have access to. We’re smaller than other schools in Florida, but we can do so, so much. Whether it’s joining student organizations on campus or taking advantage of the connections and internships we have access to because we are in Miami. It’s the fact that you ask any student on campus what they’re involved in, and they’ll spew out a million things. It’s really motivating.

Q: What advice would you like to give high school seniors navigating the college application process?

A: Trust your gut. You’re going to be freaking out, looking at forums, hearing all kinds of advice from everybody in your life. Everybody is going to say something different, and you could get overwhelmed. At the end of the day, you’re the one going to college and you need to listen to what you want.