UNH Today

When Emily Bourne came to UNH from Cornish, New Hampshire, she knew she wanted her future career path to fall “somewhere along the lines of music management.” While she chose a very specific future career, she discovered there was no academic major called “music management.”

Not a problem.

“When I started completing some of my introductory-level courses at UNH, my advisor informed me of the various paths of study within my department —which is communication —that could move me toward the exact vision of my future,” Bourne says.

During her sophomore year, for example, she declared a business focus within her program, allowing her to learn the fundamentals of media while also gaining a background in marketing and management at the university’s Paul College of Business and Economics.

Bourne’s academic program exposed her to the best of several worlds. These included an introduction to music theory, in which she began “playing a little bit of piano,” as well as courses in women’s and gender studies. She has put her classroom learning to the real-world test through a marketing internship at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where, she says, “I learned so much about the field of music and art event planning.”

Aside from her work in marketing, Bourne was involved in artist vetting meetings where she had “an active say” in which artists got booked, and she helped build an entire art exhibit. “This internship has given me the knowledge and resources I need to engage in similar work within my future career path, and I am so grateful for this experience.”

By the time she graduates, Bourne will have added minors in music, women’s and gender studies and social justice leadership, a remarkably well-rounded experience she will complete in only three years.

Bourne says the key to thriving at UNH is “not taking opportunities for granted! A college education can be anything that you make it!” A former DJ for the university’s campus radio station, 91.3 FM WUNH, Bourne says her COLA experience has enabled her to “create a full and truly respectable resume” built on coursework, organizational participation and hands-on learning.

“COLA has pushed me to work hard and succeed,” says Bourne. “I feel ready and prepared to dive into the workforce.”

COLA Student Fellows: Each year, the college selects a small number of senior students to represent the university, the college and their respective academic departments.