Lamar’s 'University Press' to launch new speaker series with journalism alumni

University Press, the newspaper of Lamar University, will kick off a new speaker series, entitled “UPLift: Career Portraits in Modern Media and Communications,” on Oct. 26 with a talk from Corpus Christi Caller-Times reporter Julie Garcia.
 
“The idea of the series is to highlight how UP alumni have used the skills they learned at the paper,” Andy Coughlan, director of student publications at Lamar University, said. “Our staffers go on to jobs in all fields -- some far-flung from journalism -- but the basic skills for communication have served them well. We hope students will get to see that the same intellectual curiosity that makes one a good journalist can be applied to any field.”
 
Garcia’s talk will focus on social media branding for media professionals and challenges like professional credibility and personal identity. The event will take place on the eighth floor of the John and Mary Gray Library from noon to 2 p.m.
 
“We’re excited and proud to have Julie come for what we plan as an annual event,” Lamar Assistant Director of Student Publications Stephan Malick, who is coordinating the event, said. “She is a great example of a journeyman journalist who is out in the field working every day. She has great insights and experiences with day-to-day operations, but also the soft-skills that are required in any profession.”