Communication master’s degree opens doors for recent UW-Whitewater grad

February 20, 2025

Written by Chris Lindeke | Photos by Craig Schreiner

Veena Johnson recently graduated with an M.S. in Communication from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and is using her degree and connections made through the program to build the foundation for a promising career.

After finishing her capstone on January 24, Johnson is interviewing with agencies for full-time work and has been volunteering with the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Southeast Wisconsin chapter, an organization she was involved with during her time as a graduate student. She is the social media chair on the group’s board and has been helping plan for the organization’s annual conference this coming June.

She is working with clients after starting her own company, Veena Media, which specializes in comprehensive public relations, digital marketing, and social media services.

Johnson credits her experience in the M.S. in Communication program with giving her the tools to be a talented, highly skilled professional.

“You learn so much in your undergrad, but you go up like 10 notches in your skillset and how you think strategically about all facets of communication — advertising, journalism, public relations,” said Johnson, who is the first in her family to earn a master’s degree. “If you get your M.S. in communication, you can do all of it. The degree allows you to change your mind, it opens a lot of doors, and it puts you in more of a research mindset.”

Members of the Spanish Club and Roberta's Art Gallery staff, including Veena Johnson, third from right, worked together to create the exhibit. Día de los Muertos is an indigenous tradition. On this holiday, the souls of departed loved ones visit and are nurtured by the food and drinks arranged in offerings. An Ofrenda de Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead Offering) was on display at Roberta’s Art Gallery in the University Center through Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024.

Johnson started her collegiate career at Madison Media Institute. She started a live audio engineering company, Veena Productions, after earning her associate’s degree.

After running her company for four years, she realized she wanted to go back to school. She enrolled at UW-Whitewater in the fall of 2019 and earned a spot on the Dean’s List following her first semester.

“Higher ed saved my life,” Johnson said. “I didn’t feel like I had a direction. Starting at UW-Whitewater and getting on the Dean’s List set the stage for my success … I can actually do this. I felt like I belonged, like I was doing something good for myself and my life.”

As a nontraditional student, Johnson decided she would treat her undergraduate career like she was a traditional student. She immersed herself in campus programming and became very involved in UW-Whitewater’s Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter.

Johnson continued her academic success, making the Dean’s List in each of her semesters and earning the Dr. Ernella S. Hunziker Scholarship for the 2022-23 academic year. She was named Most Outstanding Junior in the communication department and Best in Major for public relations as a senior. She graduated summa cum laude in 2023 with a B.A. in communication with emphasis in public relations and a minor in digital marketing.

A conversation during a media course with Amal Ibrahim, associate professor of electronic media in the communication department, led Johnson to explore — and eventually enroll in — the M.S. in Communication program.

“Dr. Ibrahim pulled me to the side and asked if I had thought about the graduate program,” Johnson said. “She said I had graduate level writing skills. Mentors can show up and change the course of your life. I’m grateful for the conversation I had with her.”

Like she did as an undergraduate student, Johnson took advantage of every opportunity offered through the program. In addition to her PRSA involvement, she became a graduate assistant with Roberta’s Art Gallery in the University Center working under Tonia Kapitan, UC services manager.

University Center Services Manager Tonia Kapitan, left, and Veena Johnson, a graduate student in Roberta's Art Gallery, check the inventory of pictures on June 12, 2023. Ukrainian documentary photographer Iva Sidash visited campus in September for the opening of her exhibit, "The Wall: Witness to the War in Ukraine," at Roberta's Art Gallery. Sidash's exhibit of art and photojournalism from the full-scale war was the culmination of nearly eight months of planning and work by students and staff in the university's media lab in Andersen Hall and in the University Center, which houses gallery.

“Tonia pushed me out of my comfort zone with my leadership and communication skills,” Johnson said. “It all went back to the graduate program itself — she made sure I was doing things (related to the degree) on the job, including social media, PR, and helping student interns.”

Johnson enjoyed the flexibility of the online program, which allowed her to maximize the 20 work hours per week allowed under her graduate assistantship and complete her coursework when she had the time to do it.

She decided to take an extra semester — the program is typically completed in one year — so she could also earn a graduate certificate in Social and New Media and engage in more of the courses she loved.

“It’s about applying theory to real-world problems that you can turn into opportunities,” Johnson said. “It really is a master of science. My applied communication research method class was probably my favorite class — it was outside the norm of communications.”

Johnson, whose sister, Veronica, is currently pursuing a BSE online in special education at UW-Whitewater, said earning the M.S. degree has set her up for future success.

“It’s 100 percent worth it,” she said. “You stand out to employers having that higher degree and it’s a personal accomplishment. A master’s degree sets me apart.”