SAMANTHA SHEPHERD

Phone: (908)-370-2306| Email: samshepherdd@gmail.com| Address: 19555 Apt 405 Bent Tree Terrace Lansdowne, VA 20176
EDUCATION
JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY
Harrisonburg, VA
Masters in Communication and Advocacy May 2018
• GPA: 3.8
• Outstanding Graduate Student of the Year Awarded: April 2018
• Concentration in Environmental Communication
Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies Graduation: May 2016
• GPA: 3.3, Dean’s List, Spring 2013, Fall 2015
• Concentration in Public Relations, Double Minor: Educational Media and Italian
COMMUNICATION EXPERIENCE
JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION Harrisonburg, VA
SCOM 123 Instructor of Record August 2017- May 2018
● Creates interactive lesson plans for Monday, Wednesday, Friday lectures for 30 students (per section)
● Maintains daily communication with students via email about their speeches, group problems, and questions
● Attends a weekly course which facilitates discussion on how to create a student-centered focused classroom
● Creates assignments to help students understand content in a manner that is relevant to them
● Prepares students for final exam and university benchmark about media literacy
● Focuses on student well-being by meeting with students outside of class to problem solve, to talk, or to be there as a
resource for them
● Responsible for grading all content for students
JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY TEACHING ASSISTANT Harrisonburg, VA
SCOM 123 Graduate Teaching Assistant August 2016- May 2017
● Created lesson plans for weekly Friday recitation section
● Created activities that synthesize information learned in large lecture on Monday and Wednesday
● Held 3 scheduled office hours to meet with students and help them understand content or problem solve
● Responsible for grading speeches, reflection papers, and outlines throughout the semester
● Created online content for students to refer back to when they are confused about a topic
PHIL& COMPANY New York, New York
Public Relations Intern May 2015 - August 2015
● Reached out to media contacts and pitched upcoming events for the company’s five non-profit organizations
● Created media lists using the Cision database
● Escorted press when at events for non-profit organizations
● Updated the weekly Museum of the City of New York publicity report
● Constructed media releases for the Brooke Jackman Foundation once a month
MARKETING EXPERIENCE
COMMUNITY SERVICE-LEARNING OFFICE- JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY Harrisonburg, VA
Student Organization Intern August 2017 - Present
● Develops four two-hour long training sessions for student leaders on campus who want to do service in the
Harrisonburg community
● Facilitates four two-hour long interactive training sessions about the PARE model
● Creates PowerPoints, facilitation guides, assessment questions, and other materials for training about PARE model
● Cultivates a toolbox for student leaders to have after the training sessions of with a takeaway from each training session
● Attends weekly meetings to plan for the training sessions, and is also for meeting minutes
COMMUNITY SERVICE- LEARNING OFFICE- JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY Harrisonburg, VA
Weekend Break Coordinator January 2015 - Present
● Facilitates leadership training sessions for ~30 weekend leaders each semester about the history of the Alternative Break
Program and the logistics of their break
● Communicates daily with non-profits to plan service learning trips for James Madison University Students
● Recruits student leaders, participants, and learning partners for the monthly trips
● Planned ¼ of nation’s weekend breaks last semester
● Won the Program of the Year Award from the community partner Arc of Montgomery County
Alternative New Dukes Coordinator March 2017 - August 2017
● Coordinated the first ever Alternative Break for New Dukes
● Facilitated 8 training sessions for ~ 25 student leaders and for participants
● Processed 7,000 dollars of payments for students
● Communicated daily with Camp Restore to plan service-learning trips for future and current James Madison University
Students
● Recruits student leaders, participants, and learning partners for two trips
● Created reflection guides, itineraries, and pre-packets for student leaders
SUNGLASS HUT Bridgewater, NJ
Key Holder May 2012- July 2016
● Communicated with costumers about the new products, sales, and Sunglass Hut Credit Card
● Prepared the store for opening and closing
● Processed shipment and utilized GoPlay, a website that Sunglass Hut uses to test product knowledge and to interact
with other stores
INVOLVEMENT
ALPHA DELTA PI: Harrisonburg, VA
Founding Member, Liaison, Membership Education Vice President September 2012 - May 2016
● Established the foundation of the ADPi chapter at James Madison University by approving bylaws and recruiting
● Facilitated 4 membership education development training sessions, each of which had a different topic: body positivity,
career planning, team building and networking
● Reported to the chapter as well as other chapters on campus the latest philanthropy and upcoming membership events
● Delegated tasks to the five other sisters on the Membership Education Team
● Implemented a yearly plan and communicated this to the chapter as well as our advisors at weekly and monthly
meetings
RELAY FOR LIFE: Harrisonburg, VA
Relay Representative, Team Captain April 2012 - May 2016
● Presented about Relay to other organizations
● Devised a plan to recruit and inform students about Relay
● Planned events to fundraise for my team, as well as guide the team through the relay process
ALTERNATIVE BREAK: Harrisonburg, VA
January and Spring Break Leader September 2014 - May 2016
● Provided pre-break and post-break educational meetings for participants to prepare individuals for in service-learning
facilitated reflection
● Created a budget for the break and organized all housing and agency logistics
● Attended weekly training
● Participated in a weeklong service experience working with a specific social issue
● Educated participant about the social issue, logistics of service project

CONFERENCE EXPERIENCE

VIRGINIA ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNICATION ARTS AND SCIENCES April 2018

Presenting GIFT “The Cost of Hunger”
EASTERN COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE
Presenting paper “Exploring How the American Girl Brand Rhetorically Constructs the Perception of Periods” April 2018

MADISON LEADS CONFERENCE

Presented “Leading for Social Change: What It Can Do for You & What You Can Do for the Community” February 2018

ACTIVE CITIZENS CONFERENCE April 2016

Presented facilitation “How to Motivate Service Learners through the Active Citizens Continuum”

ALPHA PHI OMEGA SERVICE CONFERENCE: April 2016

Presented facilitation “How to Motivate Service Learners through the Active Citizens Continuum”

JAMES MADISON COMMUNICATION CONFERENCE: April 2016

Presented Auto-ethnography “A White Girl’s Experience in Ferguson”

EASTERN COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE: April 2014

Presented paper “The Effects of Social Media on Identity”