Growing up with the Pudewa family, Nick Buscemi had the opportunity to learn directly under Andrew Pudewa for years before pursuing his career in marketing and communication. In this post Nick shares his IEW journey and how IEW’s method helped him in areas ranging from competing in speech and debate to starting his career.
Tell me a little bit about yourself.
I grew up in California with my seven siblings before my family moved with IEW to Oklahoma. As a homeschooled student fortunate enough to live near Mr. Pudewa, I took many classes that he taught locally, including writing, Latin, logic, and literature, with life lessons sprinkled in. Throughout high school and college, I worked for IEW in customer service and as a marketing/public relations intern. After graduating high school in 2015, I attended the University of Oklahoma (OU), where I received my bachelor’s degree in journalism and an associate degree in communications. From there I began working for an integrated marketing and communications agency based in Oklahoma City. I currently work at a B2B (business-to-business) marketing agency focused on brand and marketing strategy.
How have you benefited from IEW?
IEW has had an incredible impact on my life, from teaching me the fundamentals of critical thinking and writing to providing my first source of income. The greatest benefit that I attribute to Mr. Pudewa is my love for learning and for communication. Mr. Pudewa taught me how to communicate, and OU deepened my understanding behind the why and the impact of communication. Without IEW and my time competing in the National Christian Forensics and Communications Association, I would never have decided to pursue a career in marketing and communications.
How did IEW help you in college?
IEW had a tremendous impact on my college career. As a young student, I remember asking Mr. Pudewa when we could finally not use a checklist anymore. He reminded me consistently that I could ditch the checklist when I naturally incorporated the dress-ups, sentence openers, and decorations. Finally in college, I thought, Great! No more checklist! I quickly discovered that my writing suffered when I did not use a checklist. Evidently, I was not as advanced as I had assumed, so I resurrected the checklist. After my freshman year, I wrote a blog for IEW titled “Saving My GPA,” where I shared more about my college journey.
What connection from your IEW training to your ability to communicate beyond writing do you see?
The fundamental component that IEW’s methodology teaches students is to think critically. To be able to think, or ask questions, carries over into writing and public speaking. Additionally, the process of going from ideas to a key word outline to full sentences is similar in writing and public speaking. My formal IEW training fluidly extended into my public speaking experiences and my marketing career today.
It can be easy to overlook the importance of seemingly simple things like the checklist or an outline, but the little things help build the foundation that influences all forms of communication. We enjoyed hearing about Nick’s journey and how IEW helped nurture a love for learning. IEW can cultivate that same love for learning in your students also!
