Spotlight: Acacia Laliotis
"The support I received only furthers my interest in research, an interest that has flourished within graduate school. It helps that the staff wants to see you succeed!"
Acacia Laliotis is a First-year graduate student studying Mass Communication/Media Studies.
Under the direction of my department at SDSU, I have had the distinct pleasure of teaching five sections of JMS 210 (Social Media in the Digital Age) as well as assisting with one section of JMS 494 (Media Law & Ethics). As a current and prospective media educator, I have been able to exercise my professional and educational pursuits together in this department through my Graduate Teaching Associate (GTA) position. Receiving the opportunity to teach in an industry that I have been passionate about since a young age has been the greatest blessing. I have learned how to be a more effective, inclusive educator, and learned how that, in turn, can make me a better student. Being a GTA puts you in a unique position unequaled by many other jobs; I practice empathy-focused teaching practices rooted in my role as an educator with the basis of understanding students' needs and accommodations. These are skills that I use in leading the social media team at SDSU's Pre-College Institute, where I lead a social media team of PCI's three programs: Talent Search, Pathways, and Upward Bound/HCOP.
Currently, I am crafting my thesis on Finstas (fake Instagrams) and the motivations behind self-disclosure to liminal communities on Instagram. The School of Journalism and Media Studies has provided me with ample guidance in the journey of my first research project, an endeavor that can be rather daunting and overwhelming. The support I received only furthers my interest in research, an interest that has flourished within graduate school. It helps that the staff wants to see you succeed! Furthermore, the department pushes forth open communication and collaboration, which I have found within my cohort of ladies in the graduate department. Having a group of peers that support each other has made my experience at SDSU worthwhile. I look forward to diving into my thesis project and to graduate alongside powerhouse women in 2023!
