Michael Serazio
Age: 27
School Year: 2002
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Major: Communications
Meet Michael Serazio. Like many of you current Dons, Dr. Serazio focused on communication studies during his undergraduate years. He later went on to Columbia University for his M.A. in Journalism and has recently obtained a Ph.D from U Penn. Those of you who attended his public lecture on Tuesday (11/29) know that he is accomplished to say the least. Along with winning the 2011 National Communications Dissertation Award, he was a Livingston Awards finalist, a staff writer for The Houston Press, a writer for The Atlantic, the author of his upcoming book with the NYU Press, Your Ad Here, and is currently the Assistant Professor of Communication at Fairfield University. Sound impossible? Well it doesn’t have to. We met up with Dr. Serazio and got the inside scoop on how he paved his road to success, USF and beyond.
What did you like most about going to school at USF?
I absolutely loved it. San Francisco is such a great place to go to school. From theatre to the nightlife to volunteer opportunities, I learned as much in the city itself as I did in the classroom. The city was my textbook, and got me fascinated by the world and fascinated by ideas.
Do you feel that these experiences prepared you for your road ahead?
Oh yes. All of my experiences at USF fired me up to be curious about everything. I took a spring break service trip to the Tenderloin and studied abroad in Tokyo, both which ended up being some of the most powerful experiences of my life. By getting involved, I gained new perspectives, which helped me find what I was interested in.
You mentioned in your lecture that you were trying to decide between a M.A. in journalism or drama. Back then, did you ever think you would be writing a book on advertising?
(laughs) No, no. I didn’t. I was deciding between the two programs because I loved acting and I loved to write. I came across Advertising during my grad school research, and it just so happened to be the perfect subject for a book.
It seems almost as if you just went with the flow, didn’t stress about having a concrete path, and things worked out for you. What advice would you give to students who are struggling to declare a major?
Well I guess in a sense they did, and I feel very blessed for that. I wake up everyday and I love what I do. The best advice I can give would be to just be open minded. Try things you don’t think you may like. Whether those be classes, extra-curriculars, experiences, even friendships. When you keep an open mind, it becomes that much easier to find your passion. Also, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. You can’t know what you’re going to be in ten years, just like you don’t know where you’re going to live or who you’ll be marrying. Don’t feel like you’re decisions have to be permanent. Just try stuff and be flexible.
What about those students who don’t try things because they’re afraid of failing at them?
Well this may sound crazy, but people have to learn to love rejection. Once you learn that, nothing can stop you. When I applied to the Drama program at Yale and the Journalism program at Columbia, I had to treat it like a lottery ticket. That’s essentially what people have to do, stay unattached to the outcome and treat life like a lottery ticket.