Laurie Pope says good-bye to AppX but, before leaving, she welcomes new host Patrick Sullivan.
Transcript
Laurie Pope: Hey, welcome back to AppX this is Laurie Pope and today is my last day interning a university communications…which is very sad. I’ve gotten to be here for a year and a half and work with some awesome people doing awesome things. I am actually graduating Saturday and then I’m going off into the real world. But fear not! The AppX podcast will live on through my good friend that I have ere with me today Patrick Sullivan.
Patrick: Yes. That’s me.
Laurie: Hi Patrick.
Patrick: Hi Laurie.
Laurie: How are you doing today?
Patrick: I’m doing great. How are you doing?
Laurie: I’m doing pretty well. I’m glad you’re here.
Patrick: How are you feeling about graduation and everything.
Laurie: Oh, I’m nervous. I don’t know why I’m nervous. It’s literraly the actual physical graduation should be the easiest part of this whole thing but I just really hope I don’t trip.
Patrick: No. Don’t trip. That would be embarrassing.
Laurie: I don’t want to look a fool in front of Sheri Noren Everts. I don’t wanna do that. I don’t wanna do that.
Patrick: Don’t be like Jennifer Lawrence at the Oscars when she tripped going up the stage.
Laurie: I know because then I can’t redeem myself on Twitter afterwards.
Patrick: Exactly. You can’t redeem yourself like Jennifer Lawrence redeems herself.
Laurie: I’ll never live it down. I’ll never live it down. But Patrick, I want everyone to get to know you a little bit better so tell us about yourself. What is your major and what year are you here at App?
Patrick: Well I am a junior. I guess after Friday I will be a senior Public relations major with a Business minor. I am just super excited for this opportunity to take over AppX and get to talk to everybody. I have been a really involved student for the past couple of years. I was an orientation leader for two years. I got to serve on the exetuvive board for the Appalachian Popular Programming Society. Next oyear I get to serve on the student government cabinet which is really exciting. I’ve just done my best to seize every opportuninty that Appalachian has given me and I’ve loved every minute of my time here and I can’t wait to spend another year here with you guys so I’m just really thankful for this opportunity.
Laurie: Patrick, You are Appalachian. Haha
Patrick: haha Well…
Laurie: We’re very excited to have you here at University Communications and how long have you….Patrick has been working here already for a while. Can you tell us a bit about that and what you do for UComm?
Patrick: Yeah. So I started working in here in January and I had a really awesome opportunity last semester to take Principals of Marketing with Megan Hayes who is our Director of Marketing and her and I vibed really well together in the classroom setting and she told me she was looking for an intern to work in her office and I felt like if I said no to that opportunity I would have really kicked myself later so I got to meet all these awesome people including Laurie and it has brought me to where I am today and I’ve been working a lot with Social Media this semester and also just doing any other random projects that anyone around the office needs and it’s been a great time. I really enjoy everyone who works here.
Laurie: Fantastic. Well, as now the official new host of AppX do you have any questions for me?
Patrick: I do I do so you’re graduating on Saturday. What are the next big steps for you. What has Appalachian prepared you for in the world. What are you going to do next to make us proud?
Laurie: Well, as an Electronic Media and Broadcasting major and a Media Studies minor I am looking to go into production. The big hub for that is New York City. I’m going to be heading up there this summer. So, I’m really excited about that.
Patrick: That’s Awesome.
Laurie: And…there are so many Appalachian grads that are up there too that I’m really looking forward to reconnecting with and getting to know. I do know that Appalachian students often come up to New York City so I hope that I’ll be able to help them in the future…the ones that also want to make the same journey that I do. I’m very excited for all of that. I’m doing the Keller Radio Talent Institute this summer before I go which is really exciting. That is an awesome opportunity to get to work with a bunch of radio professionals and I’ve spent about a year and a half on WASU and I’ve loved that and I’m really going to miss it so I’m looking forward to after I graduate getting to go back and be in Beasley fro a couple more days before I ship out.
Patrick: So you’re not saying goodbye to Boone yet. You’ll be here for a little while longer.
Laurie: Yes. I do have a lease as you all know I live off campus so I’m going to stay that lease out before I pass the torch to another friend that’s taking over it so, I’m glad that gradation Saturday is not my final goodbye. I don’t think I could handle that. I think that would be way too much all at once.
Patrick: Yeah. I can imagine that would be very like stressful. Big changes all at once. That would be crazy.
Laurie: These past two weeks have been very emotional for the seniors especially in my major. Last week everyone saying, “Oh this is the last time we’re all going to be together in this classroom.” I’ve been having to say goodbye to all my friends in my Acapella group, Enharmonix. We had our final concert last Friday and it’s you know the last time we’ll all sing together on stage and so you prepare for graduating for four plus years and then finally as it really comes to a close it really starts to hit you you know? “This is the last time I’m going to walk down my hill with my backpack on and you know it’s surreal but it’s exciting you know?
Patrick: Well I know that you’re going to do great things in New York.
Laurie: Thank You.
Patrick: So Laurie what is a piece of advice that you would like to give to some underclassmen or high school seniors who are coming into Appalachian that…something that you wish you would have known when you were coming into college?
Laurie: The time that you are in college you’re going to change more than probably the rest of your life. If I could go back and give some advice to Freshmen year laurie it would be to make sure you don’t lose focus while you’re here. It’s so easy to get caught up in making new friends and being social and everything. I wasn’t as focused on where I was going to take my future. I actually started out in a totally different major doing totally different things and while I still loved it, once I realized I wanted to do broadcasting that’s when the you know kind of “where am I going to go in the future?” really took off and that’s when I started to focus in and that was you know half way through college. I really wish I had been taking advantage of all the resources that Appalachian has to offer. I really wish that I had been going to Peer Career now called Career Explorations and taking advantage of those resources a little bit more. The Career Development Center is huge and I really only started exploring that this year and there is so much that Appalachian has to offer organizations and events. There are entire departments that are here to help guide you through your experience here at Appalachian. There are all these things you can do to meet people with similar interests and just take advantage of all of it. You know it’s just so easy to just go to class and then just try and live life in Boone but with the school there is just so much that you can be involved in and it’s awesome. So just make sure that you’re taking advantage of all of it because you’ll look back and you’re always going to wish that you had done more so…try not to have those regrets.
Patrick: One final question I have for you…I’m sure you’ve had some awesome memories here at Appalachian but in 25 years when you’re thinking about college what is one memory that was extremely fun or crazy or just a good time that you’re going to think of about your time here at Appalachian?..if you could sum up one just quick little story for us.
Laurie: Oh man…that’s really tough. It’s not one particular memory but my acapella group, Enharmonix has been such a huge part of my time here at Appalachian. I joined in August 2011 and to think about who Enharmonix was a group and who I was as a person compared to now is just night and day. The acapella group had only been around one semester before I joined and it was still growing and we worked really really hard and we won Acapella –Geddon and it was probably one of the most happy memories that I have in college. We worked really hard. We weren’t sure…because there are a lot of really talented acapella groups on this campus….It’s crazy and so we were like, “We’re going to go. We’re going to do our best and hope that we can live up to the rest of them” and then we won. It was so much fun. I’ve really grown those relationships so much over the last four years since I joined and those will be the people that I’ll have in my life forever from college and I’m singing on the stage on Friday. I’m doing my senior song. We have eight graduating seniors so it’s a very emotional concert. There’s a Winnie the Pooh quote that is, “It is awonderful thing to have something that will make you so sad to leave behind.” That’s really how I feel about not just Enharmonix but college in general and it’s great that I’m going to miss this place so much because it has meant so much to me and it’s such a big part of me and my life.
Patrick: I love that Winnie the Pooh quote. I actually just heard it last night at another event I was at and it’s just so accurate. Whenever you’re this sad you know you have great memories to leave behind and I think that’s incredible.
Laurie: It is. It’s a special thing.
Patrick: Very special.
Laurie: Well…as the new host of the AppX podcast, would you like to lead us out Patrick?
Patrick: I guess I can. Is there a catch-phrase that you typically use or do I need to develop my own catch-phrase?
Laurie: I don’t know?? I change it up every time. You can maybe just say haha SHAZAM! Haha
Patrick: haha
Laurie: POW!
Patrick: POW! Haha no not using that one.
Laurie: I’m putting that in.
Patrick: Well I guess I can brainstorm a more creative catch-phrase but until next time this has been AppX with Patrick Sullivan and Laurie Pope and thank you for listening with us.
Laurie: Thanks. Bye.
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About Appalachian State University
As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.
