Trisha Espinoza joined us for Mass Comm Week

October 22, 2015

Heyamya

Trisha Espinoza remembers the time she sold everything and went into debt.She had one goal in mind—to be a leader in the communication industry. After all, as she put it, Espinoza did not want to put in all this hard work and sit behind a desk.Espinoza obviously reached her goal relating her journey to communication students Oct. 19 as a during a question and answer session in conjunction with Mass Communication Week.Upon graduation, Espinoza started her career at News 8 Austin before joining Viacom as an intern with MTV's development team in 2002. She spent seven years with MTV and MTV2 before becoming Director of Programming.Espinoza joined NBC Universal in 2010 where she was the vice president of programming for Oxygen Media. She returned to Viacom in 2014 and is now the current Vice President of Program Scheduling for BET.Espinoza turned to Texas State University to accomplish her goal. She was 25 years old at the time and was eager to get started.“I remember sitting in Dr. (Laurie) Fluker's office and crying to her saying I was so old and wasted so much time,” Espinoza said. “In reality I was right where I needed to be but that was just my sense of urgency, I wanted to do all I could to get ahead.”Espinoza spent her session discussing all the stepping-stones it takes for people to work their way up in the industry. She talked about the importance of internships and perfecting a resume and networking“I was shocked when she told us how many resumes she sent out,” said Tayler Chambless, Mass communication student. “She said she sent out 200 resumes and only got six internships from it, I admire her dedication and the drive she had to never give up.”While attending Texas State, Espinoza worked at KTSW radio. She graduated at the top of her class and has left an impression on former faculty members.“She searched for awhile,” said Tim England, Mass Communication associate professor. “People can relate to her because everyone struggles, but she found a path and continues to work her way through this profession.”Throughout Espinoza's discussion, she spoke of her failures and successes. She told students the media industry is for passionate and dedicated individuals.“Never stop learning,” Espinoza said. “Always be grateful for where you are in life but strive to go further. I am thankful for where I have been and I am excited to see where I will go because we are never finished growing.”By Molly Dodge