October 2019 College News

1 PRSA members, Maren Minchew and Monica Faulkenbery speaking on all of the tips and tricks of Public Relations at Mass Comm Week 2 Ogden Payne discussed with students about his journey in the music industry at Mass Comm Week 3 Carrie Stein and Molly Armstrong of Bridge Insights & Media speaking to students at Mass Comm Week 10 | October | College News JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION Advertising, Digital Media Innovation, Electronic Media , Mass Communication, Journalism, & Public Relations FACULTY ACCOLADES Kym Fox and Jessica James worked with the San Antonio Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists at the organization’s annual Gridiron Show, an SNL-style production that raises money for journalism scholarships. Fox served as backstage manager and James as a stagehand. James is adviser of the Texas State student chapter of SPJ. Dr. Vanessa de M. Higgins Joyce and former geography master’s student Zahra Khani co-authored a study "Consensus Building on Trust in Government" that was published in the September issue of Te Agenda Setting Journal . Teir study used GIS and survey data to test media vs neighborhood efects in bringing communities together in trust. Jessica L. James served as an expert source for an October 2019 Bustle publication titled, "What Happens To Your Brain When You Swipe Right on Dating Apps?" Her research focuses on mobile dating applications and the gratifcations received from new media technologies. Bustle Digital Group touts itself as the "fastest-growing publisher in modern media," with 82 million monthly readers. SCHOOL ACCOLADES Te School of Journalism and Mass Communication hosted its 30th annual Mass Comm Week October 14- 18. [1-3] Tis is a week-long event that gives students the opportunity to look to their future and hear professionals in the industry discuss careers and trends in mass media. Te week consisted of 60 sessions over fve days, flled with innovative workshops, professional discussion panels and 77 experienced speakers. Keynote speakers included: • Norma Lujan , an alumna who worked for L’Oreal for eight years as a product development manager and has created her own beauty brand company. • Pablo Mercado , who studied English at what was then Southwest Texas State, and has become the chief technology ofcer for Vox Media. • Brant Freeman , a SJMC alumnus and the voice of the Bobcats for Texas State conference games aired on ESPN. • Lynn Walsh , an Emmy award-winning journalist who has worked in investigation, data and TV journalism at the national level. One of Lynn Walsh’s sessions, “Te Truth About News” was also part of the Common Experience. Te D.D. Hachar Visiting Hispanic Media Professionals Program was part of the Mass CommWeek event. Te program brought in 35 students from the Vidal M. Trevino School of Fine Arts and Communication High School. Tis year’s D.D. Hachar Lecturer was technology journalist, Omar Gallaga. Gallaga works as a technology culture writer and podcast producer. Tese high school students visited our university student media outlets, the University Star and KTSW, and participated in a workshop with Gallaga to create a unique podcast. Tis year’s event was planned, coordinated, and executed by a team of ten that consisted of SJMC Lecturer Nicole Hengst-Tompson , graduate assistant Albert Suarez , and eight student interns from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Interns included Natalie Aguillon , Jessica Calderon , Matilda Herrera , Hope Jenkins , Mary Ousey , Paul Rodriguez , Tifany Tai , and Kaycee Wiedman . Next year will be the 30th anniversary of Mass CommWeek. Te dates will be announced and speakers will begin to be recruited in the spring of 2020. #ALUMNISPOTLIGHT Rita Garcia (Electronic Media '06) was born in Austin and grew up in South Texas. At Texas State she studied under professors Tim England and Ray Niekamp and completed numerous internships. After graduation she started her broadcast career with KRGV Channel 5 in the Rio Grande Valley. Rita then spent three years in Los Angeles with KCBS/KCAL covering events such as the death of Michael Jackson, the LA Lakers NBA Championship and earning the prestigious Tracy Miller Merit Award. Rita then moved to Fox 26 in Houston where she earned a spot on the morning team. In the six years she spent there, Rita covered Super Bowl LI, Hurricane Harvey and the Houston Astros frst World Series championship. In December 2017 Rita was hired as a co-host of Good Day LA . She’s a proud member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and in her free time Rita enjoys cooking and sharing her family’s recipes on social media (@TeRitaGarcia) . Most recently Rita was featured on Te Rachael Ray Show . College of Fine Arts and Communication | 11