Great news HC readers: Her Campus UNC is now an officially recognized UNC organization! And along with this comes one amazing staff advisor, Daren Brabham. An assistant professor of public relations in the Journalism school, Daren was raised in Houston, Texas, and previously taught at the University of Utah, where he received his Ph. D. Check out our Q & A with Daren, the self-proclaimed “foodie” and trivia lover, below!
HC: What encouraged you to become the staff advisor for Her Campus UNC?
Daren: Missy [Fournier] did! I like the Her Campus mission and attitude, which seems really cool. I used to teach Communication and Gender, so I’m up on women’s issues and feminism, so it’s kind of fun to dabble with all of that. I think it will be good for [students on campus] to read. It could definitely serve students, and I think it’s an interesting read and will become a nice supplement to the media offerings we have with The Daily Tar Heel and a bunch of other online programs. I’d like to see it a little bit more prominent, however I can help.
HC: How have you liked teaching at UNC?
Daren: It’s a great place; the students are smart, so I’m happy. I’m surprised at the quality of students and their experiences. Where I taught before, students got out of college with one internship, maybe. A small percentage of students traveled abroad. And so here, I asked on the first day of class, “What did you do last summer?” and several people in the room had gone abroad or interned, and they didn’t just intern with the local, po-dunk company; it was like GQ magazine and MTV Networks and all these really great places.
HC: Aside from the students, what’s your favorite part of working at UNC and living in the Chapel Hill area?
Daren: The food. I like the food. It’s a really foodie place. I like the quality of local restaurants and local ingredients and that sort of thing. The farmers’ market’s nice. I live in Carrboro, so I frequently will hit up the farmers’ market. I’ve lived in places where food wasn’t a priority for the culture, so it’s nice.
HC: What do you like to do in your free time?
Daren: What free time? I watch quite a bit of TV. I know that sounds lazy, but I really like TV, and when I was in grad school, I really missed out on it. I kind of lost my hobbies — I used to like to cook, and I’m trying to get back into it. I play some online games occasionally, just small ones, casual stuff like “Robot Unicorn Attack.” I guess that would be my hobby — I should probably have more active hobbies.
HC: We’ve heard that you really love your dog. Tell me about it!
Daren: I do. I love my dog. He is a character. I was a cat person prior to meeting my wife, who is allergic to cats, but quickly became a dog person. His name is Richard; he’s a pug. He’s got a hoodie that he likes to wear, and he has a human name, an old man name. He’s actually traveled a lot for a puppy. We moved across country from Utah when we had just gotten him, so he’s been to like 13 states or something.
HC: What is your…?
o Favorite Book: “Shop Girl” by Steve Martin
o Favorite Movie: “Requiem for a Dream”
o Favorite TV Show: “Dexter”
o Favorite Band: The Shins
o Favorite Website: Sporcle.com
o Favorite Travel Spot: New Orleans or Las Vegas
HC: Tell us a funny fact about yourself.
Daren: I was my high school’s mascot; it was a falcon. It always kind of surprises people. I randomly tried out and won. I got it as a junior, and it usually went to seniors, so I felt good about that. I did it for two years, junior and senior year, and I went to cheer camp, because that’s where mascots go since they’re part of the cheerleading squad. I won All-American and spirit sticks!
Want to learn more about Daren? Visit his Web site at www.darenbrabham.com