Communications Student Finds Calling After Transferring

Communications Student Finds Calling After Transferring

Isaac Machon began his college career at Cleveland State University (CSU) without a plan.

"I knew CSU wasn't for me," Machon said. "I felt I lacked a connection to my education and university. I was just in the mix of students."

For two semesters, Machon said he was undecided in his plan of study, but he knew he was in the wrong place to figure it out. He decided to attend UToledo, returning to where he was born and raised.

"When I started at UToledo, I was still undecided," he said. "I first declared my major as business, but I knew that I wanted to do some type of video production, editing, something along those lines."

"When I met with Lisa Bollman, she told me about live sports and production, and that was something that really caught my eye because I felt that a lot of what I was previously considering for my majors had classes that weren't very hands-on."

Lisa Bollman, an academic advisor in the Department of Communication and Media, said that she was happy she could make the transfer process easy for Machon.

"I was thrilled to be able to tell Isaac that his graduation would not be delayed by his change of major or transfer status," Bollman said. "Isaac has been a great asset to the major, and I am so happy that he chose to transfer to UToledo."

Machon works as a digital content intern for undergraduate admissions, where he brainstorms, edits, coordinates and records social media content. He said the opportunity has been instrumental in allowing him to actively experience his major, media communications, more directly.

"When I started doing live sports production, I was going to every single game as a camera person," Machon said. "I was usually given a handheld or wireless camera. It's an amazing experience behind the camera. You get to see a whole different side of Athletics."

Machon said that his greatest challenge was getting involved on campus.

"What CSU didn't have to offer but UToledo does is a wider sphere of things to do and people to meet," he said. "Here, I just felt I could really dig my feet in, and you can do that even if you aren't from Toledo."

For Machon, transferring to UToledo was the right decision.

"What I've learned in my experience transferring and within my major is that no other school in Ohio is going to give you hands-on experience as quickly as UToledo," he said. "You're really thrown into the fire, learning as you go. It's such a close-knit community. The faculty in your department has years of work experience, that, whether you're doing a personal project, a job or working on your portfolio, there's so many people with different backgrounds and experiences that can really set you on the path to creation."

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