Outstanding Graduate: Shaylee Lavaughn Anderson from the School of Communication
Communication Major Lavaughn recognized by the School of Communication
Shaylee Anderson
by Taylor Harris
May 11, 2022
Shaylee Lavaughn Anderson took a leap of faith by applying to the SDSU Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) in her junior year. Little did she know that applying and getting into the program would lead to a butterfly effect of opportunities for the remainder of her college career.
“I applied to the Summer Undergraduate Research Program on a whim because I really wanted to do something extra, and that was probably the best thing I could have done,” Anderson says. “Not only did it connect me with the faculty at SDSU that helped me through a lot of the general difficulties of senior year, but it also gave me the push I needed to start applying myself more.”
After SURP, Anderson jumped right into the School of Communication honor Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP), where she had the honor to work with Dr. Rachael Record on her study about the use of social media in response to the FDA regulations for Electronic Nicotine Delivery Service products.
“While helping with this project, I was able to get a more hands-on learning experience on how to conduct research studies, which I believe will definitely help me with my own research as I continue in academia,” Anderson says.
As Anderson continues her career, she hopes to use her degree to bring more respectful and accurate depictions of diverse cultures to different forms of media. Her strong work ethic and pride have allowed her to achieve many accomplishments during her time here at SDSU.
Anderson is among a class of graduates who embody the new SDSU slogan “Transform Your Tomorrow”, and she wants to continue to do just that
“Getting degrees to improve ourselves is admirable, but I think using our degrees to help improve the world outside of ourselves is the best thing we could do as educated members of society,” Anderson said.
The content within this article has been edited by Lizbeth Persons.
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