Vice Chancellor for University Relations, 308.865.8529
As a journalism major with an advertising minor, Cory Helie has had experience creating entertaining content for various media. Now the University of Nebraska at Kearney junior and North Platte native will use his communication skills for the UNK student blogs.
Helie is one of six UNK students who have been selected to provide detailed logs and photos of their college lives for publication on the university’s home page.
According to Helie, the most important thing that readers can learn from UNK bloggers is “how small town, midwestern Nebraska can be just as fun and exciting as any place on the East or West Coast. This truly is a fun place to learn and live.”
Helie said he will attempt to give readers an impression of what student life and academics are like at UNK.
“I will try to convey the life on and off campus at UNK, the classroom experience one will get by going to school here, and I will also keep people up to date on events,” Helie said.
Helie said readers can expect “entertainment and humor” from his blog, and he is confident that he will be able to provide interesting stories every week.
“I feel that communication has always been one thing I have been good at, and expressing myself through writing and other forms of media is one of my favorite hobbies,” Helie said.
Those who prefer audio over text may find Helie’s entries particularly interesting, because he hopes to produce podcasts and audio files to accompany some of his blog entries.
A veteran of campus media, Helie is the features editor for UNK student newspaper, and has been a D.J. for the campus radio station five semesters. He also participates in intramural activities, and he currently began writing short stories.
In addition to his campus involvement, Helie has professional media experience. He is part of a live production team for the Tri-City Storm hockey team that shoots video to be displayed on the big screens, and after graduating, he said he would love to be a sports broadcaster.
Helie said that some aspects of college life that may be routinely found in his writings are independent living, mass media opportunities, and making friends and developing relationships at college.
The main reason Helie cited for wanting to become a UNK blogger revolved around audience reach.
“I wanted to reach the masses in different ways than UNK’s radio station and newspaper. I thought this would be a great way to reach people outside of UNK and let them know how great of an institution this is,” Helie said.
Helie said another motivating factor in persuading him to write for the UNK Web site was his desire to spread a positive message about UNK.
“The time I have spent here at UNK has been a blast and I would love to document it, and let everyone with an interest in UNK learn how much it has impacted my life. Being at this institution has turned my life, grades, and appreciation for education around,” Helie said.
The other five UNK bloggers are Kelli Cavenah, a psychobiology major from Rapid City, S.D.; Siobhan Duffy, an organizational communications major from Omaha; Astrid Garcia, an elementary education major from Grand Island; Melissa Hinkley, a journalism major from Lincoln; and Larry Perez, a criminal justice major from Topeka, Kan.
To view any of these bloggers’ entries, log-on to www.unk.edu, and click the “Student Bloggers at UNK” photo at the top-left corner of the UNK home page.
