Name: My name is Amanda Castillo. My full name is Amanda Galilea Castillo. Like Galileo, but with an a, oh and I am not a mathematician.
Year: I am currently in my second semester as a Junior, I’ll be a Senior in the Fall and yes, I am freaking out because I am only 20.
Major: I am a Mass Communications major with a focus in Advertising.
Hometown: I was born and raised in good ol’ Brownsville, Texas.
What made you decide to major in Advertising?
Funny story. I actually started as a criminal justice major. I then switched to business, then broadcast, then journalism and now advertising. Working at the dorms at UTRGV, I would always get told I was really creative. Being in other organizations like Campus Programming Board and doing an internship, made me realize the love I had for creativity. This made me want to pursue a degree in Advertising. Helping create events that semester, I was always trying to come up with creative marketing ideas to get people to come out to our events. Doing this, made me want to learn more about advertising and the different ways to do it, because of that I also picked up a minor in marketing.
What is your favorite thing about UTRGV?
My favorite thing about UTRGV is that it’s at home. I came into UTB during its last year and I was afraid I wasn’t going to like college. Coming in at the age of 17 I was afraid. UTB and UTRGV took that fear away. They made it a safe place where it was easy for me to come out of my shell and socialize with people and join various clubs. UTRGV has allowed me to grow some of the best relationships with friends, supervisors, professors, advisors, mentors, etc. UTRGV is basically my second home since I am always on campus whether it be in class or working with one of the many organizations I am involved in.
What is your favorite class you’ve taken so far at UTRGV?
My favorite class I’ve taken at UTRGV so far is Intercultural Communications with Dr. Strong. I took this class right after I got back from my internship at Disney World and this class made me understand everything I experienced more clearly. As someone who loves to communicate with new people, this class helped me learn about the different ways to communicate with different people from different countries. Although it wasn’t done as a Study Abroad like its previous years, Dr. Strong still made it a memorable class right here at home.
What is your role within HCUTRGV?
I am a writer for HCUTRGV.
What’s something people may not know about you?
Something people may not know about me is that I have social anxiety. Although I am an outgoing person and very talkative when you get to know me, I get nervous going up to people at times or speaking in front of people. If my gut isn’t feeling it, my social anxiety kicks in, which makes it hard for me to go out sometimes and talk to someone new, even though it is something I enjoy doing.