Originally from Plano, Texas, Richard Kottwitz ’09 graduated from Texas Christian University with a degree in advertising and public relations from the Bob Schieffer College of Communication. In three words, he describes his experience at the college as “valuable life experience.”  

Kottwitz completed a year at a community college while he was “figuring it out,” then decided to come to TCU. “Ultimately their design school and advertising program is what drew me in, and the environment and the people sealed the deal,” he said. “The strategic communication Campaigns (capstone) class was my favorite. It was a great experience as we all were teamed up in mini-pods based off our strengths, like design, writing, or strategy. I feel like that class and others like it really showed how agency life could be for those of us who are interested in getting into that field.” 

Kottwitz now works at Augustine Agency in Dallas. As a student, he was not sure he could imagine the life he has today. “You always have an idea of what you think things will be like, but sometimes reality is better,” he said. “I began working at Augustine last year when the company approached me and offered me a job. They did a good job selling me on where they wanted to go and what my role would be to help them get there. I believe the most valuable lesson I learned from being an advertising and public relations major was how to adapt and collaborate with team members on a project.”  

Looking back on his time at TCU, Kottwitz said he wished he has taken a political science class, for fun, but cannot think of any classes he wishes his major had offered. While a student, he worked part time for a design group which gave him great “real world” experience. His favorite off-campus spots were Perrotti’s Pizza, Fuzzy’s Tacos and the Movie Tavern which “was a novel thing to us at the time,” he said.  

International travel tops Kottwitz’s bucket list so he can have new experiences, specifically Australia, Japan and Germany.  

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