Tawny Brianna Turner
Name: Tawny Brianna Turner
Age: 21
Major: B.A. Mass Communication: Advertising & PR/Minor Marketing
Class: Senior
College: College of Liberal Arts
Hometown: Brownsville, Texas
High School: Belton High School, Belton Texas
Why UTRGV?
I always wanted to go to a big school to use in building my identity, which led me to apply in hopes of attending UT Austin in the Fall of 2022. I have always made it a priority in my life to be led by God in everything I do so as I got closer to completing my associate degree and was waiting to hear back from UT, I felt God guiding me to move back to the Valley to reconnect with family. Upon taking the leap of faith to move and reject my UT admittance, God began revealing the negative motive in my heart of putting my identity and trust in something other than Him by depending on a prestigious school to give me opportunity and a high standing. By choosing to go to a smaller school, like UTRGV, God has taken me on a journey of teaching me to trust in HIM ALONE rather the name of the college I attend or the degree I attain. So, going to UTRGV has taught me to trust God on an even deeper level, by trusting that He can and will use me anywhere I am, with any degree I get from any school.
What made you decide on your current major?
I love how versatile this degree is and how many different jobs fall under the career field of mass communications. I appreciate the fact that I can incorporate creativity through marketing/PR efforts such as in writing, graphic design creations, videography, and photography. Embarking on this path to gain a degree in communications, I have had the opportunity to cultivate important skills such as public speaking and expanding my vocabulary knowledge. Overall, I have loved this major because it has many different job opportunities, it utilizes creativity, and it sharpens communication skills.
What do you hope to achieve beyond completion of your major?
I hope to utilize my degree to tell people’s/companies stories. I hope to impact people by bringing an element of humanity to the world of advertising/PR/marketing—allowing people to feel genuinely seen, heard, and served.
What do you like most about UTRGV?
The size of the school is one of my favorite things. UTRGV is the perfect size in that it’s not too small but not overly populated to where you never see the same students and have long walking distances between classes. In these past few years at UTRGV I have come to know a lot of fellow colleagues within my major and it feels like everyone knows everyone when walking through campus and seeing those same students from my major classes. There is only a handful of communications professors and I have had classes with many of them, so it’s been easy to build relationships with all the professors within my major.
What does being a Vaquero mean to you?
To me, being a Vaquero means that I chose to invest and give back to my hometown community.
What opportunities has UTRGV helped you find throughout your community?
Thanks to an administrative assistant for communications, Melissa Guajardo, during my time at UTRGV I have been informed of companies that partnered with UTRGV who provided amazing internship opportunities. These internships have allowed me to gain hands-on experiences in my career field and network with intelligent professionals who are willing to train a young professional like me. Working in these environments with these individuals has allowed me to expand my knowledge in different areas of my degree field, causing me to develop new goals for myself and gain new passions like videography, writing, and photography.
What advice do you have for fellow students pursuing their degrees?
Stay close to God and let your creator establish your steps. It’s a big, confusing world out there and when you get into college you’re beginning to be exposed to the world and it can be overwhelming. By staying close to God your allowing yourself to be led through this world by God to reach your full potential an purpose, which was designed for you by God.