Meet the Team

Director Kelsey McGonigle

My name is Kelsey McGonigle, and I am a senior public relations major earning my Business Foundations Certificate and participating in the College of Communication’s Senior Fellows Honors Program. In addition to my involvement with Tower, I am also a member of Communication Council and the Public Relations Student Society of America. I work in the business office of Texas Performing Arts and spent this past summer as the Dallas regional public affairs coordinator for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. I have also previously interned at Triple 8 Management and St. David’s Episcopal Church. I plan to graduate this spring and hope to work in communication for the arts.

I joined Texas Tower PR in the fall of 2009, and I am thrilled to serve as director this year. Tower is a fantastic opportunity to gain practical public relations experience by applying the skills we learn in class to real-life situations. I have made many close friends and mentors through this organization, and my time in Tower has helped me grow both professionally and personally.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Information Officer Rachel Frey

Hi, my name is Rachel Frey and I am senior public relations student also pursuing my Business Foundations Certificate. I am an active member of the Public Relations Student Society of America, and I love going to baseball games with the Texas Baseball Diamond Crew, a spirit and service organization and the official host for The University of Texas baseball team. I have also helped found Texas Sports Group, which helps students who would like to break into the sports industry.

This fall, I will work with The University of Texas Athletics Media Department as a student worker.

I spent this past summer interning with the Houston Astros as their first social media and broadcasting intern. I learned a great deal about how to effectively communicate with fans through digital channels, and I cannot wait to share what I have learned with Texas Tower PR. I maintained my own blog and Twitter account throughout the summer.

I have previously interned with Texas Electric Cooperatives, Palm Springs POWER Baseball and Communication Career Services. In my spare time, I enjoy the outdoors, sporting events and photography.

Creative Officer Emma Cuellar

Hi, I am Emma. I am a senior in public relations. I became interested in PR the summer going in to my senior year of high school. I met the director of community relations for the Pittsburgh Pirates and learned about her job on a day-to-day basis. Her enthusiasm and excitement as she explained her job brought me to the conclusion that I wanted to work in public relations and probably in the sports or nonprofit sectors.

I am currently interning with Great Communicate as well as working in promotions for the Round Rock Express baseball team. I enjoy working on projects behind the scenes, developing everyone’s goals and ideas into a plan and then seeing the final product. I love working on teams and how they possess a great sense of possibility. This will be my third year in Texas Tower PR and I am currently the creative officer. I hope to gain more experience by helping out on the accounts.

Social Media Officer Kaitlyn Williams

Hi, my name is Kaitlyn Williams. I am a senior journalism major as well as Senior Fellow in the College of Communication’s Honors Program. It probably seems weird that a journalism major is in Tower, but I have enjoyed working with and in the media. Writing is my first passion, and I think that a journalism degree and a Business Foundations Certificate from McCombs School of Business will give me a great foundation for a career in both media and public relations.

Like millions of others, I would like to think I am the ultimate Twilight fan. I also enjoy traveling with family and friends, particularly to places that help fill my adrenaline needs, such as amusement parks.

I joined Tower two years ago because I knew it would give me ideal hands-on experience in public relations. Along the way, I have learned so much about branding, effective communications and social networking. I am truly grateful that Tower has helped me brand my own name and served as a guide in preparing me for internships. This year, I am honored to continue serving as the social media officer. I have made it a personal goal of mine to introduce myself to someone new every day as a way to meet people and master the art of networking. I plan to continue enhancing Tower’s social networking and keeping everyone in the loop with Tower’s projects and events. With that said, please feel free to contact me with any suggestions or ideas on how to expand Tower’s social presence.

Candlelight Ranch Account Executive Allison Price

My name is Allison and I am senior public relations major also working to receive a certificate in Business Foundations. It took me two years in college to return to my love of writing and pursue PR, but it was the smartest decision I have ever made. I spent the past semester interning with AARP Texas‘ communications team and have gained valuable experience to improve my communication skills and my writing. When I graduate this May, I hope that I can use what I have learned in Texas Tower PR to work with an agency, wherever that may be.

I joined Tower a year ago to gain more hands-on experience with nonprofit organizations and the PR industry as a whole. I started as an account associate for Candlelight Ranch, and took on the role of account executive for the same organization last fall. Tower has already given me great experience creating content for clients and I am very excited to see what this semester brings!

Candlelight Ranch Account Executive Hugo Rojo

¡Hola! My name is Hugo Rojo and I am a freshman public relations major here at UT. I am from the diverse border city of El Paso, Texas, and I also lived in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico for four years. My passion for community service and nonprofits has earned me a spot as an account executive in Texas Tower PR, and I am also a member of the Alan Scott chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America.

With the help of my mentors who encouraged me to pursue public relations, I have two internships under my belt. As a senior in high school, I interned for the two-time Broad finalist and TEA recognized Socorro Independent School District in El Paso. Last semester, I worked for the sixth largest employer in the Austin area, the Austin Independent School District, in the Department of Public Relations and Multicultural Outreach.

In my spare time, I like listen to good music or read a deliciously good book. I am in love with the fast pace of Austin, and I hope to take back to my hometown everything I have gained here academically and professionally.

Texas Exes Account Executive Shoshanah Garber

My name is Shoshanah Garber, and I am a third-year public relations major from Massachusetts pursuing my Business Foundations Certificate. I am also a member of the Public Relations Student Society of America and have served as the administrative director for the School of Undergraduate Studies here at The University of Texas at Austin. I discovered my love for communications and public relations the summer before I started here at UT Austin when I interned for my local NPR station in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

I joined Texas Tower PR last year and worked as an account associate for Candlelight Ranch, where I got some great practical work experience alongside my peers. This year, I look forward to working as an account executive for our Texas Exes account.

Texas Exes Account Executive Israel Perez

Hi, my name is Israel Perez. I am a UT multimedia journalism senior in the Business Foundations program interested in going into public relations. I first joined Texas Tower PR in January 2011 and am excited to continue working with Texas Exes as an account executive.

Currently, I am interning at Texas Co-op Power Magazine as a communications and editorial intern, and UT’s radio station, 91.7 KVRX Austin, as a promotions intern. At KVRX, I also serve as news director and host of the talk show In the Know. I was previously a reporter for The Daily Texan.

Theatre Action Project Account Executive Sharon Chin

I am Sharon Chin, a public relations senior earning a Business Foundations Certificate. I was born and raised in Singapore, completed high school at the age of 16 and have been an international student in Austin ever since. I have worked on the Theatre Action Project account for a year and cannot be more excited to continue working with the organization as an account executive.

I developed a passion for PR at my first internship with Campus Renewal Ministries. This spring, I will be launching a PR campaign to recruit more research participants as an intern for Disney Ad Lab, a facility that researches physiological reactions to advertising. Following graduation, I hope to continue working in Austin and eventually head back to Singapore with a new set of skills.

Theatre Action Project Account Executive Emily Watkins

My name is Emily Watkins, and I am junior public relations major with a minor in business. I am an account executive for the Austin-based nonprofit organization Theatre Action Project.

At The University of Texas, I quickly became involved in Freshman Leadership Organization, UNICEF, the Public Relations Student Society of America and Texas Tower PR.

I interned for Gita Group, a small public relations firm in New York City, during the summer of 2010. The clients I worked for included Angelo Sosa from Top Chef, Dreyfus Ashby Wine Distributors and Annieglass, a designer of handcrafted glassware. In the spring of 2011, I interned with Education First Foundation, a nonprofit organization that places international exchange students in the U.S.

I will graduate from The University of Texas at Austin in May 2013. I intend to pursue a career in the tourism and hospitality industry because I love to travel and engage with different cultures.

UT Career Services Offices Account Executive Ashley Buenrostro

My name is Ashley Buenrostro, and I am a junior public relations major minoring in music and pursuing Business Foundations certification. In addition to my involvement with Tower, I am also a member of the Public Relations Student Society of America and the Music and Entertainment Committee.

When I learned about the amazing hands-on experience that Tower provides, I knew I wanted to be a part of the team. I joined Tower last fall and served as an account associate for the Texas Exes account. I am extremely excited to now be an account executive for the brand new UT Career Services Offices account.

For the past year, I have worked as a local marketing representative for The Syndicate, an independent marketing agency that specializes in the promotion of musicians, comedians, movies and live events. This semester, I am interning for the Texas Music Office and also with the Austin Music Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides business education to musicians. My ultimate goal is to work in a PR or communications department at a major music company.

UT Career Services Offices Account Executive Vi Tran

Chào! My name is Vi Tran, and I am a first-year public relations student also pursuing the Business Foundations Certificate. As the only person in my family who did not choose to pursue the medical or engineering career route, Tower provides me with hands-on experience in a new and exciting field. I joined Tower PR last fall and served as an account associate for the Austin Better Business Bureau account, and I am thrilled to be an account executive for the UT Career Services Offices this semester.

Prior to attending The University of Texas, I was a legislative intern at the district office for a representative of the Texas House of Representatives and a marketing intern for a team building company in the Dallas area called Group Dynamix.

In addition to Tower PR, I am also an active member of the Public Relations Student Society of America and the College of Communication Council. This summer, I will be serving as an orientation advisor for The University of Texas New Student Services. I hope to continue to develop my skills in public relations and business throughout the next four years and graduate in December 2014 to pursue a public relations career at an agency or technology-based company.