Q: What year did you graduate from WCU?
A: 2011.
Q: What was your concentration and minor?
A: Journalism and Broadcasting.
Q: What are your career highlights?
A: Getting a job as an Assignment Editor in a top 25 TV Market right out of college. Starting and operating my business, TH Social Media, successfully. Getting into the graduate program at UNC-Chapel Hill has recently been exciting.
Q: Why did you choose the Communication department over other majors at WCU?
A: I came to Western knowing I wanted to be a Communication Major. I interned for a TV Station in Charlotte my junior and senior year of college, so I had a pretty good idea what I wanted to go to school for. I was fascinated by the state of the art television control room, and the faculty.
Q: What is the most important principle or skill you learned while in the Communication department?
A: I learned that to be an employable graduate, I needed a well-rounded education. I needed to know both the technical, editorial and creative sides of the industry. Between the communication department and student media, I was provided with a great education that prepared me for a career in Television, and eventually a career as the owner of a marketing company specializing in digital media.
Q: Where did you complete your internship? What was the most important thing you learned from this experience?
A: I did my internship at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. I had several opportunities, but in the end, I chose this. It didn’t come without some hiccups along the way. Finding a short-term lease that was affordable was quite difficult, as was getting the appropriate documentation to work in Canada, and the Communication Department Head, Don Connelly, helped me get enough credits that semester to remain a full-time student. It was incredible to work for the Host Broadcaster, in the Host City of the Olympics.
Q: How would you characterize the impact of the WCU Communication department on your career?
A: Western Carolina provided me a well-rounded education that taught me how to solve problems, think outside the box, and create a multitude of skills that made me employable in a variety of fields.
Q: Thinking back about your time as a WCU Communication major, what is your favorite memory?
A: I have so many great memories in the classroom, but it was my classmates that really made the classes great. We pushed each other to do better. The ones that tried hard have all succeeded professionally. It was when my friends were employed in the field, which they graduated with a degree in that things began to get real exciting. Seeing the hard work in the classroom get rewarded was great.
Q: What would you tell a prospective student wanting to major in Communication at WCU?
A: Take advantage of time outside of the classroom to get more experience. Do things related to your major that have nothing to do with class credit.
Q: Please provide your LinkedIn and any other social media contacts you’d like to share.
Instagram: Tucker_Horne
LinkedIn: Tucker Horne
Facebook: www.facebook.com/THDigitalMedia/
Personal Website: www.thsocialmedia.com