Kate Lummus
Major: Advertising (Texas Creative)
Inspiration:
Childhood overseas. Politics. "Because I grew up on six different continents, I could never understand why, when I got back to the United States, people didn't understand or respect others' opinions. The more I know about how the government works, the more I realize that there is a huge need for my skill set in that forum. You need to know about how the media works, how to speak in public, how to write well, how to connect with an audience. Parties win or lose the war for public opinion simply by how well they perform in the communications battles."
Favorite Class:
Introduction to Creativity with Deborah Morrison. "I'm good at taking tests and following directions and rules, but this class was incredibly challenging. I'm not very creative, but it helped to unlock the creativity inside me. Our primary assignment was to create a short film prompted by The University of Texas at Austin's tagline: ‘What starts here changes the world.' I also loved Sex-Based Discrimination, taught by Sarah Weddington. I'm an equal rights junkie."
Where UT Meets the Real World:
The Archer Fellowship Program sends recipients to Washington, D.C. for a semester where they work on Capitol Hill or in other uniquely Washington environments. "I worked in two Congressional offices when I was there. I wanted to do something that I couldn't do anywhere else in the United States."
Aspiration:
To hone skills in an agency, then move into the public sector in some kind of a public policy role. "I don't want to get niched into something. I don't plan on following many rules, and UT taught me how to think, not what to do."
Favorite Means of Communicating:
Sign language. "I love using sign language because it's so expressive. Your face is your grammar, you use your body as an adjective. And I think because my innate ability is in writing, it's fascinating to me to communicate with gestures."
