Wil Courtney

Majors: Communication and Political Science

Hi there! My name is Wil Courtney and I’m currently double majoring in Political Science and Media And Mass Communications, planning to graduate during the second semester of 2025. My career path has proven not to be as linear as I would hope it would, but I love journalism, politics, and the entertainment industry, so achieving a career in any of those industries would be a win in my book.

I chose Purdue for two different reasons, the first was one I discovered almost immediately; the campus. Purdue’s campus is absolutely beautiful. Whether it’s the diverse architecture of the buildings, the gorgeous greens of its trees and parks, or the several different cultural monuments we have around campus, I knew immediately that Purdue could be my home, but I was unsure due to my interests. I attended a seminar about Purdue’s College of
Liberal Arts and that’s where I found my second reason. I quickly found that home within the College of Liberal Arts because of the vast opportunities it holds, the professors (one of which attended my seminar!) and their various courses, and the prestige that comes with the Brian Lamb School of Communications. After I finally understood that I would be challenged and would have a lot of ways to progress my career through the College of Liberal Arts at Purdue, choosing it was easy.

At Purdue, I’m involved in several different organizations, all of which I absolutely adore. The first is the Dean’s Ambassadors of the College of Liberal Arts. The Dean’s Ambassadors is a great organization of like-minded but very diverse Purdue Students that are united by one common bond: Purdue’s College of Liberal Arts. I’ve met and learned a lot about what Liberal Arts means to these students, but also explain what Purdue has in store for incoming students who may be nervous about what it contains. This experience has been like no other and I’m incredibly grateful for it. Another organization I am a part of is the CCSE Student Community. The CCSE Student Community is another organization in the College of Liberal Arts but is open to students in all majors who have an interest in current affairs or politics. Through the community, I’ve been able to talk to people in Congress, professors who I haven’t gotten the chance to attend their lectures, and even the namesake of our communication school and the founder of C-SPAN, Brian Lamb! Lastly, I am also a Team Leader for Boiler Gold Rush (BGR). BGR is our orientation for incoming students and it had a huge impact on making me a Boilermaker. As a Team Leader, my role is to make sure that all incoming students understand what it means to be a Boilermaker, make them feel welcome on campus, and have fun!