Gage Gardiner ’25 is set to perform at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo during TCU Day.
For more than a century, the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo has served as a proving ground where tradition meets talent, and emerging artists earn their moment in the spotlight. For Schieffer alumnus and country artist Gage Gardiner ’25, this year’s rodeo represents far more than a performance. It marks a milestone in a journey built on persistence, community and the support of the university that helped launch his career.
Gage Gardiner ’25 is set to perform at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo during TCU Day.
As a communication studies major, Gardiner credits Senior Instructor Carrie Moore as one of the most influential figures in his development. Courses in public speaking and nonverbal communication shaped how he presents himself.
“The way I talk and the way I conduct myself, even in interviews like this, is a product of what TCU gave me,” Gardiner said. “Instructor Moore’s classes were fun, impactful and incredibly formative. I carry those lessons with me every day.”
He also credits his initial success to incredible support from students, including the time when two classmates played his debut song, “The Red Hills,” on KTCU, TCU’s student-programmed radio station. It marked the first time he heard his music on the air.
“That was such an awesome experience, and getting to talk to them about that was really cool,” he said.
For Gardiner, the performance is a full-circle moment rooted in gratitude for the professors who shaped him, the students who supported him and the university that gave him his start.