Student Series: Britagne Elliott

An integral part of AWC’s mission is to foster the growth and development of local communicators, which includes mentoring young communicators who are still in college. There are 34 AWC student chapters, including seven in Texas and three in the Austin-San Antonio Corridor (University of Texas – San Antonio, University of Texas Austin (UT) and Texas State University (TxSt)).

Many AWC Austin members volunteer to mentor student members through the e-mentor program or by speaking at student chapter meetings. One of our Board positions is devoted to providing support to our student chapters. This year, Christy Agness is our Student Chapter Liaison.

Each month, we’ll post a profile on one of the student chapters’ officers.

This month, we’re featuring Britagne Elliott, a junior at UT studying broadcast journalism. I sat down with Britagne on Wednesday evening to talk shop over coffee at Caffe Medici. Britagne is the VP of Publications for the UT chapter and has been a member since her freshman year. Since attending her first meeting, she’s grown to love the tight-knit group of members. She became an officer her sophomore year and this year, she’s responsible for creating flyers and managing the chapter’s Facebook group.

Ashley McKemie, AWC UT’s president had this to say about Britagne:

“She has been a dedicated and outstanding member of UT’s AWC chapter for three years. Britagne has always gone out of her way to make new members feel welcome, create an inviting and fun environment for the group, and help out with anything, whether it be making flyers or helping with recruitment. She’s a motivated, outstanding member of the group.”

In addition to her volunteer time with the student chapter, Britagne volunteered at this year’s AWC Austin Banner Brunch. When I asked what part of the event was her favorite, she said, “hearing Judy Maggio speak. I grew up watching her on the news and I’d like to do something similar one day.”

This summer, Britagne held two interships – one with Clear Channel Communications, and the other with The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central Texas. In addition to being a full-time student and all-out stellar AWC officer, Britagne works two part-time jobs – receptionist at a local dentist’s office and street team member at Clear Channel – AND is a studio associate producer for KVR News, the student-run news show at UT.

She’s a prime example of who our future communicators are. To close, I asked Britagne what advice she would give incoming freshman. She said,

“Start looking for internships right away and don’t be discouraged if you don’t think you have enough skills. You’ll gain those skills in the internship; that’s the point. Plus, internships will help you figure out what you really want to do.”

Connect with Britagne on Twitter @bke223 or Facebook.