Hello everyone! My name is Danran Lyu. I am a master’s candidate in the Communication, Culture, and Technology program (CCT) at Georgetown University. As you can see, the title of my graduate program is composed of three words: communication is undoubtedly the one that best sums me up. It was my undergraduate major and my academic interest. I’m fascinated by the multiple meanings that explain human-to-human communication. And I am eager to put my passion into practice by studying at CCT, which will also prepare me for my future career path.

CCT is an exceptional program. Students like me have tremendous freedom in curriculum and can choose courses outside the program, even outside Georgetown. It is essentially the reason why I chose CCT. I agree with CCT’s interdisciplinary core idea and believe that receiving interdisciplinary education is a practical way to apply communication knowledge to practice. In the first semester of CCT, I signed up for Statistical Methodology from CCT and an accounting course from the School of Foreign Service. When I was an undergraduate, knowledge made up of numbers would never be the central theme of my learning. But CCT opened up a whole new path for me now. When I interpreted the statistically derived results in words, the difference between quantitative and qualitative was never so clear to me. Practice is the only way to apply what you have learned to the real world. And I will continue to practice my beliefs in the following three semesters.

I do not yet have a detailed plan for the future. But I have a direction to work on—that is to get my master’s degree at CCT. I don’t think I will become a Ph.D. I will try to find a communication-related job after CCT. I am very proud of my program and Georgetown University, and I believe they can bring me a solid guarantee at the job fair. I hope to build on it and use the practical courses I choose to add some competitiveness to my qualifications. That is, I will never stop discovering ways to improve myself through the journey of CCT.