"English majors are the smartest, wittiest, most creative and intelligent people on Earth!" |
Tia TappanDegrees:
BA English and American Language and Literature (UTC) Career Accomplishments: Tia Tappan began her career throughout her collegiate years. She was a contributing writer to Chattanooga Parent Magazine from 2007 to 2010. She held a public relations internship with WTCI PBS in 2008 and the University Relations Office at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2009. Tia was also a Media Specialist for Waterhouse Public Relations in 2010. As a graduate from UTC, Tia has served her community as the Development and Marketing Coordinator for Young Women’s Leadership Academy at Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy from 2010 to 2011. She became the Director of Marketing for Urban League of Greater Atlanta in 2011 until 2012. Tia pursued entrepreneurship, founding two businesses. Tia is currently the Creator/Founder of ShoeGameMean.com (2012) and the CEO and Founder/Creative Director of The Tap House of Style and Beauty, LLC (2014). Tia's Thoughts on the UTC English Department: I had really great professors, my favorite being, Dr. Katherine Rehyansky, who saw something in me and challenged me. My favorite course was History of the English Language. She made transcribing Old English fun, somehow! There weren't a lot of internships available for English majors at UTC when I was a student, so I sought my own opportunities in the community. That was actually a good thing; it got my name out there when applying to jobs! Having a strong command of the English language definitely helps when you're a publicist or a writer for a magazine, as I have been in my career. My major was also coupled with a communications minor, so I was privy to more opportunities to expand my interest, other than becoming an English teacher, as most people assume that's all you can do with an English degree. That is simply not the case! Words evoke emotion, and knowing which words evoke the kind of emotion you want from an audience requires more than simple subject/verb agreement. English majors are the smartest, wittiest, most creative and intelligent people on Earth! People with English degrees work in advertising, journalism (my first love, always! I even wrote for the school newspaper at UTC!), screenwriters for Scandal and Empire, become high-powered attorneys and of course amazing English professors. Think beyond the box! |