MSU's Christine Giddings Enjoys Multifaceted Interests

By Ryan Simpson

Some students, all the way up to their senior year of college, are unsure which direction their life will take. Christine Giddings, senior Public Relations major and Marketing minor, on the other hand, knows exactly where she will be.  She isn't psychic; she just knows what she likes.  “I want to work in the community after I graduate, perhaps for a non-profit organization,” she says.

Getting involved is one of her favorite things and you would know this if you were ever lucky enough to see her resume come across your desk.  Her interest in service started with her first job, training draft horses for competition, at age 16.  There are many different breeds of draft horses such as Clydesdales, Percherons, and Shires, but no matter which breed, these mammoth animals command attention.  “Whenever we bring out the horses for people to pet, consciously or unconsciously, everyone takes two steps back; a horse that size is intimidating,” she says.

One of the main reasons Giddings is so interested in these horses doesn’t involve their size and strength, though.  A few years ago, she volunteered with Therapeutic Riding of the Ozarks, an organization that provides therapy to children through their interactions with horses.  According to research, the motion of horse riding is therapeutic.  It helps with muscles and flexibility, and helps the children emotionally when they form a personal connection with the horse.  Giddings wants to do further research on this topic and says horses can be used in the workplace for team building exercises or for grief therapy as well.

Christine Giddings competes in the Ladies Cart class with one of the Clydesdale draft horses named Alyssa.  This horse is one that Giddings won with later at the National Clydesdale Show, August 2008.

Horses are definitely Giddings passion, but her professional interests lie in event planning and promotion.  She currently works in an internship with Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc., where she writes internal and external publications and interviews new employees to introduce them to the company.  Her interest in people has made consumer behavior one of her favorite subjects at MSU.  “I love to try and get into people’s heads to understand what they’re thinking and feeling,” remarks Giddings.

The biggest lesson she has learned during her time at MSU is the importance of networking.  Her most rewarding venture to date wouldn’t have gotten off the ground without it.  Missouri State Ice Bears Hockey is a staple of the University athletics program, but Giddings and three other University Ambassadors (yes, she does that too) felt like its voice was not being heard in the community.