FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Remember her name, her face and her byline.
Quanecia Fraser is about to start a career in broadcast journalism.
If what she has done in college is an indication, she will succeed big time.
Soon she’ll be reporting the news for Omaha, Neb., station KETV, taking her first steps in the business. Before that, however, she will deliver the commencement address for the 2019 spring graduates in the College of Liberal and Fine Arts at Tarleton State University.
Her graduation at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 11, is the culmination of an educational trek that started when she was a senior at Little Elm High School.
Tarleton representatives at her school’s college fair day gave Quanecia her first look at the university. She was so impressed, she scheduled a tour of the Stephenville campus.
“My dad toured Tarleton with me, and he loved it,” she said. “We arrived and were trying to figure out where we should go, and Dr. (Kelli) Styron saw us looking lost and helped us. Everyone was so nice.”
It was in her high school senior year, after that trip, that she altered her plans from studying kinesiology to journalism. She had found her passion.
While she worked toward her degree in communication studies, she served as editor of the Texan Newsnewspaper and news director for Texan TV, earning the Outstanding Broadcaster award from the Tarleton Communications Department.
She won first-place awards in announcing, multimedia feature production, breaking and general news coverage, and electronic news coverage from the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association. She also earned high marks at two high-profile internships.
In a summer project at CBS News in New York, she and four other journalists-in-training won a competition between teams of interns and had their story aired on CBSN. After returning from New York in summer 2018, she interned at Austin TV station KVUE.
“It was a great experience,” she said of her summer work schedule. “I met (CBS News anchor) Jeff Glor. I got my picture taken with (CBS This Morning anchor) Gayle King. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that. It was the best summer I ever had.”
Quanecia said her training at Tarleton enabled her to be competitive, not only in the chase for national internships and ultimately a job, but in handling the work that was required.
“Tarleton has prepared me to move on. The reason I love this place so much is the faculty. All my professors have been amazing. They’ve been so passionate about whatever they do. They’re so willing to pass on that passion to their students.”
She intends to share her love for the university in her commencement address.
“I want to talk about what Tarleton means to students like myself. I also plan on addressing Dr. Dottavio leaving. A lot of students have told me they wish they could cross the stage before he retires so they could shake his hand before they graduate.”
Don’t be surprised if Quanecia takes some time at the lectern to thank her family.
“They felt so good about me going to this school,” she said. “They love it here, and they’re going to miss me going to school here as much as I will. Tarleton has not only accepted me, but they welcomed my family with open arms.”
News at 11. Stay tuned.
Tarleton, founding member of The Texas A&M University System, provides a student-focused, value-driven education marked by academic innovation and a dedication to transform today’s scholars into tomorrow’s leaders. It offers degree programs to more than 13,000 students at Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian, RELLIS Academic Alliance in Bryan, and online, emphasizing real-world learning experiences that address societal needs while maintaining its core values of tradition, integrity, civility, excellence, leadership and service.
Contact: Phil Riddle, News and Information Specialist
817-484-4415
[email protected]
