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#WhyMoody: This week, we are featuring Ashley McGown from Fort Worth, TX. Ashley will be studying advertising at #TEXASMoody.
McGown chose to study at #TEXASMoody because she always heard from older students about how much they love their programs here. She is also interested in pursuing opportunities such as @utnyprogram and @utlaprogram.
“I’m looking forward to having access to the best resources and people to help guide the way!”
McGown is interested in creating her own cosmetic brand in the future. She chose to study advertising to gain skills that would help promote a brand.
McGown would like to ask current students where the best place is to study at #TEXASMoody. Comment your favorite study spots below!
📸: @danetteadelson
Soft launching Class of 2027! 🤘
How’s your summer going? 🤘
Need new places to explore? Check out our Moody’s Day Off series to find great spots to visit on the 40 Acres. Starting off with Blanton Museum of Art.
#WhyMoody: As we wrap up our first week of orientation, we are featuring incoming #TEXASMoody students this summer! First up is Praiya Smith (she/her), a Radio, Television and Film major from Kyle, TX.
Smith chose to further her education at #TEXASMoody because she knew it would be the best place to thrive with her ideas and connect with people. “I’m looking forward to being involved in a community of creators and learning from one another.”
Smith chose to study Radio, Television and Film before she is passionate about videography and photography. When she was 15, she started her own small business (@praiyasmithproductions), where she took photos and videos for her high school.
“I love using film and photos to capture moments and tell stories!”
Smith would love to get some advice about choosing classes. Any advice from current and past RTF majors is welcome in the comments below!
📸: @hannah_perucca
Fit check for Interim Dean Rachel Mersey and Assistant Dean @kyleclarkspeaks. We love the sneakers. Great first day for @rdmersey!🤘
Thanks for following along this month as we share stories during Asian American Pacific Islander Month. Today we are featuring Claire Blanchard from Carrolton, TX. This #TEXASMoody graduate just earned her Public Relations degree.
Claire is third-generation Okinoerabujima Japanese American and is strongly connected to her Japanese heritage from the Ryukyu Islands. “In addition to living in Kobe for two years, I had the privilege of visiting Japan every summer, where I attended elementary school and immersed myself in the language and cultural practices.”
Growing up, she also dedicated her Saturdays to attending a Japanese school in Dallas. “These experiences have greatly enriched my cultural background, fostering a deep sense of identity and bilingual proficiency in Japanese.”
In Japanese culture, omamori is a traditional small fabric pouch found at shrines, serving as protective charms or amulets. They are believed to bring their owners various types of protection, blessings, and good luck. “I have omamori for academic success, safe travels, and love, which I carry with me or display in different places for their intended purposes.”
Claire also keeps a shisa on her nightstand to serve as a symbolic way to invite positive energy and dispel negativity. “In Okinawan culture, the shisa represents good luck and protection. It is a mythical creature resembling a lion or dog, often depicted in pairs—one with an open mouth (agari) and the other with a closed mouth (nagari).”
Please share with us what brings you luck!
Meet @utjschool professor Dr. Anita Varma. Dr. Varma focuses on media ethics and leads the Solidarity Journalism Initiative at the Center for Media Engagement.
“Growing up, I often heard my family talk about “luck and prosperity” as one phrase. Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Ganesh, and any gift from an elder to a young person are all considered bringers of good luck.” Varma’s family is from Bihar, India. “Anything given from a pure spirit is a blessing, and with blessings come good luck.”
Dr. Varma’s good luck item is a necklace with a small ornament of Lord Ganesh. Her aunt in India gave it to her when she graduated from high school. “In the 20 years since then, I have never taken this necklace off and consider myself quite lucky! Lord Ganesh is also known as the remover of obstacles and a muse for writers.”
Joie Parma just graduated from #TEXASMoody this month with her @utexasrtf degree. Parma was born in Yiyang, Hunan Province, China and was adopted by her family in 2002. She grew up in New Braunfels and spent Sundays at Chinese School. She also participated in lion dancing and ribbon dancing with the San Antonio Lion Dance Association. “It was very important to my family that I stay connected to my heritage— they told me the story of my adoption from a very early age. They took me to visit China twice, once to visit my orphanage.”
You may also know Joie for the frog memes she created, she probably made one for you during the pandemic with her @what_frog_you_are account. Through frog memes, she made international internet friends and has had incredible opportunities to leverage the platform. “I was able to draw attention to matters I care about such as donating to help crises across the globe (sending crowd funded donations to Unicef and Red Cross), supporting the USPS and more.” Way to go, Joie!
Joie’s good luck symbol is a tiny Chinese porcelain dish necklace that was gifted to her by a family friend, Wei. “I started wearing the necklace in high school on important school days, like when I had a major standardized test; and it never failed me. I’ve always done well when I wear it. At the same time that I’m a hard worker, I’m also a little superstitious! It’s my lucky necklace.”
The color red also represents luck. “It’s the color of fire and therefore symbolizes power, vitality, success, good fortune.” Good thing our stoles are red! Congrats, Joie on graduating and can’t wait to see what you’ll do in New York City!
To celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Month, we asked our community what brings them luck in their culture. Join us as we celebrate the rich diversity within the #AAPI community at #TEXASMoody.
Today we are kicking off the series with the Chair of the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Rajinder Koul. Dr. Koul is originally from Srinagar, India and received his Ph.D in Speech-Language Pathology from Purdue University.
Dr. Koul said walnuts represent luck in his culture. “Walnuts are highly revered and used in major cultural/religious festivals and are distributed among the participating people.”
He still shares walnuts with friends and family on significant cultural occasions and he said they are also delicious in meat and vegetarian dishes. What brings you luck?
2023 Health Communication Leadership Institute
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