Communication Studies major Shannon Blunt ’19 arrived at Longwood thinking she wanted to work on the student newspaper. Then she saw the WMLU studio, and everything about her next four years changed.
“I immediately knew I wanted to do radio. I wanted to do my own show,” she said, boasting that Longwood has what she believes is the only fully student-run college radio station in Virginia.
The opportunities that Longwood affords students to make their mark and find their passion is something that is truly amazing. This is the perfect place to grow.
Shannon Blunt ’19 Tweet This
By October of her freshman year, she was on the air and on a path to achieving an even bigger goal—becoming the radio station’s general manager and president. As a freshman, Blunt decided that her goal was to lead WMLU her senior year. She achieved it a year early and served as president of WMLU her junior and senior years.
During her last “Keeping It Blunt” show on May 2, the Richmond native reminisced and played songs that had special meaning to her during her time at Longwood. It was a bittersweet moment.
“Thank you WMLU for giving me all of these opportunities to grow as a person and as a professional at the same time,” she said, signing off for the last time. “These past four years wouldn’t have been my amazing college experience without it.”
Helping to plan and organize Bandfest, which is sponsored by WMLU and part of Spring Weekend, has been another highlight of Blunt’s Longwood career. She helped to bring some of her favorite bands to campus, including lovelytheband, Dead 27s, and We the Kings, which came her freshman year and then came back this year when she was a senior.
Blunt is active in Lady Joans, one of two women’s acapella groups on campus. She was recently awarded the WLCX/WMLU Matt Burton Award for outstanding achievement in radio, which was voted on by her peers. She was also honored with a wooden Princeps 7, a recognition for being a leader at Longwood and the highest honor the secret society bestows.
“The opportunities that Longwood affords students to make their mark and find their passion is something that is truly amazing,” she said. “This is the perfect place to grow.”
As for as her post-graduation plans, Blunt, who has a concentration in digital media and a minor in art, has applied to a variety of jobs all around Virginia and in New York, California, and Washington, D.C. She is mostly applying for jobs in radio, as well as a few in video editing.
“Some of the radio jobs I’ve applied for are working the 4 a.m. time slot,” she said, before quickly adding “but, you have to start somewhere.”
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