The chief of staff to the U.S. ambassador to Canada, a graduate of Cabrini, will speak at the college Thursday, Oct. 19, at 3:15 p.m., in the Widener Lecture Hall. Christy Mason Cox will return to her college to talk to English and communication majors about the journey her life has taken her after graduating in 1988. She will talk about the positions she has held as a television reporter and then in state and national politics.
Cox started out at Cabrini College after being recruited, “back when dinosaurs roamed the earth.” She was a big fan of the communications major in general and very much enjoyed the many different aspects it had to offer. While at Cabrini, Cox majored in English and communications as well as had a minor in History.
When asked which classes she decided to take while studying at Cabrini, Cox said, “I took advantage of every course offered there. I was very much into journalism, as well as the radio courses, which had just started when I was there.” Cox was the news editor of the school’s newspaper, the Loquitur as well.
When asked what professors she remembers while she was at Cabrini, she laughed and said, Cathy Youngman and Jerry Zurek communications professors, “were my teaching idols. They had me so involved in the school they were simply unbelievable.”
Zurek had a big smile on his face when asked if he wanted to comment about Cox. According to Zurek, “She’s gotten so far in politics, I wonder where she’d be if she’d stuck with TV. It’s also amazing that she is chief of staff to the United States biggest ally in the world.”
After graduating from Cabrini, Cox immediately went into TV. She was a news editor and enjoyed it very much. Cox said, “Although there’s not a lot of money involved, it’s a lot of fun and everything you’d hope it would be.”
The independent station that she first started out working for was invaluable to her and she just loved that job.
While talking about internships and co-ops, Cox felt very strongly about them both. She said students should be taking any opportunity given to them. “Always take internships. It’s crucial to you and it looks great on your resume.”
Having been on television for 12 years, Cox moved to the Department of Public Safety in 1993 in South Carolina where she was a spokesperson for the Highway Patrol. Christy then moved on to join the House of Representatives staff in November of 1998 as a speechwriter and press assistant to former Governor David Beasley. She was then appointed as the first House director of communications. Ever since, Cox has been working as the chief-of-staff to the U.S. Ambassador, David Wilkins.
Cox is now living in Ottawa Canada with her husband and two kids. She misses the United States very much, and everyday cannot wait until she is able to return. “When you live in the United States, you’re always going to defend it any time you are able to. Moving to Canada and being so far away from home makes you become more patriotic than you’d ever imagine.”
