Meet the empowering woman behind the camera, Laura Manganello. Also known as the lovable and artistic Mango, she has a passion for the arts, photography, and communications. She loves to inspire young ladies to go for their dreams and she is this week’s campus celebrity.
Mango is a senior studying communications media with a studio art minor. She is from Pittsburgh and she came to IUP because she wanted to work on IUPTV as soon as she came to college.
“My high school teacher had a TV station and IUP was the only school that had a TV station where you could be a full member on station as a freshman. So I was ready to do everything and anything when I came here. I was on like four shows my freshman year.”
Mango has dedicated her college life to the TV station and now in her senior year, she’s is IUPTV’s promotions director. The promotions director is in charge of promoting the station, its programming, and events and works to create advertisements and promotions and promotes IUP-TV to the campus and the Indiana community. She works closely with IUPTV station manager, Juli Whetstone, and works with the TV shows promotions team in order to promote their shows.
“I love helping the shows on IUPTV even when it’s something I don’t really know. I will always at least try.”
Mango is very involved in the IUP campus. She is in Student Film Association, Student Photography Association, Saudi Student Association, and Student Art Association. Almost any creative media and art association that is on the IUP campus, she is a proud member of that association. She loves planning events for her organizations and she puts a lot of effort into her schedule for these students’ organizations.
After graduation, Mango plans to work for either a production or a digital multimedia company working on promotions and graphic design. She specifically wants to work with a company that helps to empower women and focus on creating positive images for women in the media.
“I want to work with a company that helps women. I love seeing images of powerful women achieving their goals and I would love to be a part of that process.”
Mango’s advice to incoming freshman is that “your success is not determined by others’ definition of success. Don’t look at what another person is doing and believe that you’re doing something wrong. Everybody’s success isn’t the same and you can find success all by yourself.” Mango believes that freshman should always make experiences in college and try different things.
Mango lives by the simple quotes “Just go for it” and “Never give up on your goals.” She has an artistic soul that inspires others. Her creative expression has influenced many others and will continue to influence and prosper.