Finding a voice in Fargo-Moorhead

Throughout high school, Paige Kosienski was a star in her theater program as well as in speech and debate. She could always sense what a crowd would enjoy and how’d they react. She was born to entertain and tell stories; now, as a radio presenter, she gets to do so every day on the air.

Morning commuters may recognize Paige’s voice from Froggy 99.9’s “The Wake-Up Call” with Paige and Trace, weekdays from 5:30-9 a.m.

Paige is currently a senior at MSUM, majoring in communication studies with a minor in integrated advertising and public relations.

As a part of her studies, she has tackled the ins and outs of how to be a radio personality. Paige has a knack for creativity and thinking of ideas on the spot with her quick wit.

Going into college, Paige was unsure how to incorporate that talent into a higher education setting.

During Paige’s first semester at MSUM, she was undecided. She knew she was a good communicator, but also wanted to use her passion to engage with an audience.

That’s when she turned to communication studies. She talked to Denise Gorsline, a professor in the department, and was able to declare a major and enroll in classes by her second semester.

“Paige was a good student from day one,” says professor Gorsline. “I see her as being one of the leaders of the majors; students talk to her about what is going on in a class and she is ‘the one’ who talks to professors about problems in a class.”

Being in the department has shown Paige that there’s much to learn in the realm of everyday interactions.

“I learned a lot about the different theories at play on why people behave the way they do,” she says. “Being able to organize a message and having strong verbal, nonverbal and written communication skills is extremely important.”

She had plenty of experience but needed to sharpen her skills and learn about the ethics behind communication.

“The course material is what you make of it. If you don’t have the experience or knowledge, you can get the surface level information and still learn a lot,” Paige says. “However, if you are learning about a skill you already have, you can really dive into that and get a full-scale analysis of the subject and its elements.”

With her education, job training and natural talents, Paige has become a local personality and loves her role.

Her work at the radio station has helped her realize her true abilities. In a normal workday, she plans talking points, co-hosts the show, writes a work blog, records commercials and analyzes statistics, all with a smile on her face.

“Going to work is genuinely fun,” Paige says. "I would not wake up at 4 in the morning if it wasn’t worthwhile.”

She was fortunate to find this job during a previous internship through MSUM. She originally was working for MATBUS, the public transportation system in the F/M area, for class credit when someone from the radio station came to the office to interview her for an advertisement.

"I did a radio remote (broadcast) and met one of the on-air talents,” Paige says. “While we were working together, he looked at me and said I should work in radio. I ended up touring the station at four in the morning a few months later.”

She credits her success to being in the right place at the right time. While she loves the experience of working in radio, she also values the work she did for MATBUS.

“I can say I've worked for the government and a commercial communication business,” Paige says. “I think it was beneficial to see the rules and structures behind each of those settings.”

Whether Paige’s future leads her to radio stardom, a return to transportation or a totally new endeavor, she’s sure to bring her unique energy and enthusiasm with her.