Student: Kate Redfield

Major: Journalism

Class: Senior

Hometown: San Francisco, California

Journalism was a natural choice for Kate Redfield. In high school, she worked for her school newspaper and reported on school policies, politics, art and fashion. Redfield knew that journalism was something she really wanted to be a part of, an industry where she could see many possibilities. “When you think of journalism, it’s easy to default to newspapers, magazines and broadcast news, but I see a whole host of possibilities within the profession,” she said.

Making the trek from the Bay Area to Fort Worth, Texas Christian University stuck out to Redfield because it encapsulated everything she was looking for in a college. “I liked the idea of being at a larger school with small class sizes, and the Journalism department offered a range of classes that would help me determine what exactly I wanted to do in the industry,” she said. “To be a good journalist, I needed to expand my horizons and Texas Christian University’s Journalism department helped me achieve that. School spirit was also a plus.”

From her first year on, Redfield became very involved in the journalism major. She started working for the News Now camera crew, wrote for TCU 360, the student-run news site, and became editor-in-chief of Image magazine — all within her first two years at TCU. Climbing the ladder to these positions gave Redfield valuable experience. “Working my way up into these roles taught me a lot about the value of determination and connecting with the people in your department,” she said.

In addition to the leadership roles, Redfield took advantage of each summer break as a way to develop personally and professionally by interning at different publications around the world. She spent her first summer internship in San Francisco working for a clothing brand. She took a leap halfway around the world the next summer and interned for a mobile startup app in Milan, Italy. She spent the summer of 2019 in New York City working at a PR agency where she was able to put to work her writing, graphic design and strategic thinking skills to formulate brand strategies for clients.

Redfield plans to go back to New York City after graduation. She left the vibrant city knowing she would be back eventually and is working to do just that. She is unsure as to what she will be doing then, but is looking for an opportunity in technology, television production or marketing. TCU has given Redfield extraordinary opportunities that have advanced her career and helped her develop professionally and personally. Without the help of TCU and the Journalism department, Redfield wouldn’t be where she is now and would not have the experience to allow her to thrive one day in New York City.