OC mass communication alumni making a difference in the classroom

Multiple alumni have been recognized for inspiring students in their teaching careers. 

February 18, 2020 - Professors in the communication department have unknowingly inspired graduates to develop and pursue a passion for educating young students through teaching. Those graduates, in turn, have been recognized for the differences they are making in the classroom.

Alumni Dewayne Wiseman, Emily Dito, Molly Patterson, Jake Whiteley and Jing An earned degrees from the Department of Communication, even landing prestigious jobs in news media and sports public relations. In addition to having a similar education experience at OC, they also later found themselves called to be teachers.

Wiseman is currently working as a teacher and coach at Southeast Middle School in Oklahoma City; he was recently accepted into the educational leadership program at Harvard University.

“I look forward to studying in the department of education, learning about assessments, teaching practices, teaching in urban schools and much more,” Wiseman said. “I thank God for this open door, and I know he is ordering my steps, and I could not be more excited!” 

Dito works at Waverly Park Elementary in Fort Worth, Texas, as a second grade teacher. She recently won her first Webby Award for her school’s website and social media, being recognized as the best among all elementary schools in the Fort Worth Independent School District. When Dito also won a similar award a year ago, she thanked OC Associate Professor of Communication Josh Watson for the knowledge and guidance she received in the PR field that now helps her in her current profession.

“My PR background has prepared me to deal with parents, department meetings, our social media page and presentations,” she said. “I am getting to use my PR background every single day.” 

Watson is thrilled about the success of his past students, even if they did not start at OC thinking about becoming teachers. 

“It’s a blessing that communication students have found their calling as teachers,” Watson said. “Each of these students demonstrated specific talents in the communication department that translated perfectly for building up and encouraging young students.” 

In addition to Wiseman and Dito, Whiteley, Patterson and An have also pursued careers in education. Whiteley teaches in Kaufman, Texas, at Norman Junior High School, and Patterson works in the Oklahoma City area at Hefner Middle School. An went back to school in 2016 to the Teachers College of Columbia University, and after graduating in 2018, she began teaching at the China Institute as a language instructor. 

Wiseman and An studied journalism and graduated in 2014 and 2015; Wiseman also earned his MBA in 2016. Dito, Whiteley and Patterson studied public relations and graduated in 2016, 2017 and 2019, respectively. After graduation, Whiteley was hired to help run social media for the Texas Rangers baseball team, and Patterson followed in the footsteps of her mother, who teaches English in Oklahoma City.

These OC graduates have gone on to make a difference in the classroom and use their knowledge from the Department of Communication to thrive in their careers. As Dito said, they have OC and their professors to thank for that.