Reflections on teaching and experience

“If you want to learn something, teach it,” said American physicist Richard Feynman. To that, I’d like to add my own twist: “If you want to learn something, experience it.”—a paraphrase of Julius Caesar’s timeless insight—“Experience is the teacher of all things.”

I hope you’ll recognize how those two ideas—teaching and experiencing—shaped everything we did. This subject wasn’t just designed to fill your heads with theory. It was built to immerse you in the process: to learn by doing, and to teach by creating. Every educational material you produced and every assessment you undertook was a reflection of your growth, your creativity, and your emerging identity as a media communication professional.

If you list all the activities we’ve done together, you’ll see how many of them mirror real roles in the media industry—whether as a producer, writer, designer, strategist, or even entrepreneur. You weren’t just students; you were practitioners in training.

So what’s my point?

A dear friend of mine, a wise educator, once reminded me: “Life is what you make it.” I’d heard or read about that phrase before, but it didn’t truly resonate until I was approaching my 40s. Now, as I prepare to transition out of government service, that message feels more powerful than ever.

And here’s the lesson: Life is shaped by the choices we make. Whether you pursue a career in media, start your own venture, or take a completely different path, the tools and experiences you’ve gained here will serve you well.

Finally, I want to thank each of you—not just for your participation, but for your presence. You’ve taught me about myself, too. And after nearly 40 years in this field as a practitioner and teacher, I can say with certainty that true learning never stops.