“The World Will Always Need Communicators”

Despite growing up in Ankeny, Kelsey Vargason didn’t originally plan to attend Iowa State. In fact, she wasn’t even sure she wanted to go to a university at all. She was attending Des Moines Area Community College when, during a round of college touring, she visited here and fell in love with the campus.

The deciding factors Vargason lists for transferring here include the community and opportunities at Iowa State. On the tour, she found she liked the sense of community and unified identity that Iowa State students have. The chance to be part of that community was what first drew her in, but what tipped the scales were the opportunities afforded by a university versus a community college, such as chances to network. She also recognized the value of a degree from Iowa State. She hoped that the opportunities that Iowa State offers would lead to her path in life after college.

Upon arrival, Vargason began work on her major in English despite having some initial doubts about its usefulness. “Being an LAS major and being an English major, I had a lot of people ask me, ‘What are you going to do with that?’” Vargason recalls. “Is this practical? Is this realistic?” But she found a potential career avenue through a more specialized field: technical communication. After taking English 2140, Introduction to Technical Communication, she discovered she had an interest in the field and eventually decided to minor in it. Now, as a senior graduating in 2026, Vargason plans to stick with technical communication as a career, hoping to find an editing position or work as a grant writer for nonprofit organizations. After all, according to Vargason, “the world will always need communicators.”

Vargason’s advice for getting through college is to fight self-doubt, saying “You’ll find your way.” She encourages new students to explore what interests them and avoid comparing themselves to professors, industry professionals, or more experienced peers: “Don’t play the comparison game.” That, she believes, is the key to not getting discouraged.