Three majors, one standout

Having three majors might overwhelm some college students, but for Mallory Waligora it means triple the opportunities and accomplishments.

Whether it’s traveling to Washington D.C. and Japan as a Cherry Blossom Princess or studying abroad in the Czech Republic and France or interning at WDIV Local 4, Southeast Michigan World Affairs Council (SEMIWAC), OU’s William Beaumont School of Medicine and the Shelby Township Government Supervisors’ Office or taking part in two U.S. Department of State Diplomacy Labs, Waligora finds a way to take advantage of the opportunities presented to her.

Waligora earned her bachelor’s degree with three majors: International Relations, Public Relations, and French Language and Literature. She was recently awarded the Meritorious Achievement Award, the highest honor for a student in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Through it all, one moment had the biggest impact, when she least expected it. The Oakland Post editor Arianna Heyman contacted Waligora about writing for OU’s student newspaper.

“The Editor in Chief reached out to me and said they just started a politics section and are looking for political reporters,” Waligora said. “I had never taken a journalism class and wasn’t really interested, so I told her I wasn’t interested. She told me they just need someone who knows politics and they could teach me how to write. I signed up and it was one of the best decisions of my life.”

Waligora enjoyed writing for The Oakland Post so much that she added a third major: Public Relations. She later became politics editor, and this past year, Content Editor.

She admitted it’s hard to pick just one, but she considers working at The Oakland Post the most rewarding experience of her college career.

“I have to choose The Oakland Post because it changed the trajectory of my college career,” Waligora said. “I don't think I would have gotten into PR or writing if I hadn't been recruited to write for The Oakland Post. It pushed me to try something new, and it changed my trajectory at Oakland.”

Waligora has earned more than $33,000 in scholarships during her time at OU and she credits that to her time at the Post. 

“I didn't get a lot of scholarships my freshman year, and then once I started working for The Post and learned how to write, I got significantly more scholarships,” Waligora said. “I realized that it comes down to writing a good essay and being trained as a writer.”

Cherry Blossom Princess

Waligora didn’t think much would come of it when she applied to be Miss New Hampshire Cherry Blossom Princess for the National Conference of State Societies. But she ended up winning, traveling to Washington D.C. and then later was one of four people chosen to be a Kakehashi Project Fellow by the Japanese Embassy, earning a fully funded trip to Japan.

“I was in Japan for two weeks,” Waligora said. “It was a lot of meetings and professional stuff, but my favorite part was when they gave us three days to go to the Japanese countryside. I was in Tokyo for a few days and Tokyo can get really overwhelming and hectic. We took a train to a city called Gotemba, it’s right by Mount Fuji. I worked on a wasabi farm and it was incredibly peaceful.”

Waligora was interested in the program because of her International Relations major and she was eligible to be selected as Miss New Hampshire because she has relatives who live there. She applied after learning about the program from a friend.

“The Japanese Embassy partners with the National Conference and they pick a girl from every state, and you spend the week in Washington, D.C. working with the Japanese Embassy, going to a lot of programs and events with them,” Waligora said. “It’s during the Cherry Blossom Festival. And then, out of the 50 participants, they pick four to go to Japan. You just had to send in your resume and an essay explaining their interest.”

It wasn’t the first time Waligora worked with a government agency. She also took part in two diplomacy labs for the U.S. Department of State.

“They hire student researchers for different projects,” Waligora said.

The first diplomacy lab she did was on ecotourism. 

“I was super honored to be selected for that,” Waligora said. “I worked with Professor Paul Kubicek. I wrote a 40-page report on ecotourism in Belize, which is in Central America. I called up wildlife conservatories in Belize and I set up Zoom calls with them. I talked to them about ecotourism and if ecotourism is actually successful, or if it creates unsustainable demands. I won some awards for that.”

Waligora was awarded “Best Poster Presentation” and Honorable Mention for “Best Class Paper.”

She followed that up by doing a second diplomacy lab on Military Coups in Africa. The project culminated in an in-depth research report and a 45-minute presentation, delivered to U.S. diplomats.

Waligora was also Vice President of Pi Sigma Alpha, which is the National Political Science Honors Society.

Studying abroad

Waligora is a French Language and Literature major, but her first study abroad trip was actually to the Czech Republic. 

Prior to working with Professor Kubicek on the diplomacy lab project, she took a European Politics course with him and he recommended she apply for the Frederick Kaviuk Slavic Studies Scholarship. She applied and with the scholarship was able to spend a summer studying abroad in Prague.

“That was like the best scholarship of my life because it paid for the majority of my tuition, and then the Donna and Walt Young Honors College helped cover the rest of the housing,” Waligora said. “I likely would not have studied abroad in Prague without that support.”

Waligora learned to speak some Czech while she was there and it helped prepare her for studying abroad in France.

“I took architecture classes, which was very random because I've never taken architecture classes before,” Waligora said of her time in France. “I had to finish up some French elective credits so I went to Paris and it really helped me improve my French.”

She said as part of the architecture courses they would go out and explore the city, which she enjoyed.

“We did have some lectures in the class, but our mornings were spent indoors, kind of prepping for the day, and then for about two hours every day, we would go out on a little adventure,” Waligora said. “I'd bring my notepad and my pen, and we would have to take photos and literally sketch out the different parts and what the floor plans were like. And that was just super cool, because it was unlike anything I've ever done before.”

Waligora said she started taking French classes in middle school and stuck with it because she enjoyed it so much.

“I think it's such a pretty language and I think their culture is great,” she said. “Their food gets a bad rep sometimes, but I love French food. I love French pastries. I love their movies. I love their music too. I got really into French rap when I was in Paris.”

Gaining real-world experience

Waligora took full advantage of The OU Pledge, completing four internships in addition to working at The Oakland Post.

She completed internships at Shelby Township Government Supervisors’ Office and OU’s William Beaumont School of Medicine. She’s currently still working for WDIV Local 4 and SEMIWAC, taking advantage of her Public Relations degree.

At WDIV, she assists the assignment desk with monitoring breaking news, police scanners and tip lines. She helps identify, verify and route developing stories to reporters and photographers. And she writes and publishes breaking news and developing stories for ClickOnDetroit.com.

“I'm answering emails and I'm working the phones,” Waligora said of working at WDIV. “When people call in with a pitch, I'm the one who answers so you can imagine the wide range of calls that we get on a daily basis. It's made me more well-versed in managing the newsroom. I publish around two articles a week on the two days that I'm there.”

At SEMIWAC, she manages social media platforms and website content, supports communication and marketing efforts, including event coordination and pre-lecture briefings with guest speakers.

“I work with SEMIWAC Executive Director Lynne Partington and she's been such a good mentor in my life,” Waligora said. “She always talks to me about my career and my future, and she's lived a life full of exciting political things, and she's had some really cool jobs, so her mentorship has been invaluable.”

Waligora also is the assistant editor of BeGolden, which is OU’s student-run fashion magazine and she’s a member of OU’s Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA).

Looking ahead

Overall Waligora has enjoyed her time at Oakland and how it’s prepared her well for the future.

“I've had a wonderful time at Oakland,” she said. "The university offers flexibility and prioritizes career growth and internships.Having professional experience before I graduate was always important to me.”

Waligora also values the relationships she built with faculty

“One of the best parts about Oakland is how connected the campus is,” she added. "Getting to know my professors and having them write letters of recommendation for me, having them refer me to people who are hiring, all of that has been super helpful. I’ve had great mentorship. I've had professors I've grown really close with, and I have people who can now advocate on my behalf and suggest me for jobs. I have so many professors here who are rooting for me and that’s amazing. That kind of support has made a lasting impact.”