Public Relations Major
Hometown: Findlay, Ohio  

Desmond Strooh took an unusual route to The University of Findlay, one that began in South Africa and included home schooling that helped to give him the independent outlook that probably is his most distinguishing feature.  

Strooh was born near Johannesburg, South Africa, but when he and his sister were quite young, the deteriorating political situation led their parents to relocate to the United States, choosing the Des Moines, Iowa, area where his maternal grandparents were situated.  

While he attended public elementary school, his mother, a former journalist with CBS, was not enamored with the higher levels of public school education and decided to home school the pair using a highly structured curriculum program.  

“The key advantage for me specifically was that I was able to accelerate my middle and high school education. At 16 I was done with doing high school work,” having been able to blend home schooling with an accelerated high school in Des Moines, he said, adding, “The transition from high school to college wasn’t as drastic for me because I was used to working independently.”  

After his older sister Heather chose Findlay, their parents decided it was best to have both of them in the same school, so Desmond, who had planned to stay another year at a local community college because he was only 17, applied to UF and received a Trustees’ Scholarship.  

“One of my favorite things about being at the University has been the relationships I’ve established with professors,” naming accounting professor Doug Asbury, “who was absolutely supportive and helped me along when I wanted to switch majors,” as well as Dr. Diana Montague and Chris Underation, both professors in the communication department, who have helped him to identify and develop his strengths.  

His pivotal experience at UF was participation in a trip to the 2008 inauguration in Washington.  

Strooh, seated second from left, sits in the IMAX theater of the Capitol Visitor Center with other participants in January 2009.

Strooh, standing second from right in back row, poses for a photo with others from UF during the Presidential Inauguration Seminar.

“I was exposed to other students from Findlay who were very intellectual, who were thinkers, and we were able to sit in a neutral atmosphere and share our perspectives without being laughed at,” he said, adding that they established a weekly Salon to keep the discussion going. “The Salon is a continuation of that – being able to share and come together and celebrate our nerdiness, really,” he said with a laugh.  

Strooh has also gained tremendous hands-on experience in his field, especially through the Public Relations Student Society of America, which he joined in January 2008 and has served as vice president and now, president.  

“It’s given me a lot of perspective on what it actually is to be a PR practitioner – but just from being a part of the club, it’s illustrated to me the vital importance of being in clubs like this, because you get to put into practice what you learn in the classrooms,” he said. “Being president this past semester has opened my eyes to how hard leadership really is, and the qualities that a good leader needs to be a successful leader.”  

He is grateful for the personal development opportunities he’s had.  

“I would recommend joining a similar club to someone who is looking to get hands-on experience and really learn about their desired profession,” he said. “In the communication department, we are actually encouraged and required to do so much, and that experience is invaluable.”  

Strooh plans to spend a month and a half traveling around Europe while considering whether to apply graduate school in either law or communication, or to seek industry experience.  

He encouraged incoming freshmen to take advantage of every opportunity offered to them. “Take your education seriously. Don’t expect to be pushed through by professors. It’s your responsibility. Findlay has great resources, but it’s the student who actually has to take advantage of those resources.”