Greetings from Northern California! My name is Michelle Truong and I am a rising senior at Syracuse University majoring in Public Relations and Marketing Management, with a minor in Spanish. My passion for using communications to foster community has led me to be very involved on and off-campus. I am currently the Vice President of Business for WJPZ-FM Radio, a resident advisor, a member of the Forever Orange Student Alumni Council, and a brother of the professional business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi. Being abroad last semester in Madrid I was not only able to immerse in various cultures, but also develop my fluency in Spanish. 

I first heard about TLF through Newhouse’s career center my freshman year and knew I wanted to apply to the scholarship to further my knowledge and network in public relations. TLF’s mission to increase diversity in the communications and marketing fields is something very important to me. Growing up, I didn’t have anyone in my family working in these fields so I didn’t have a lot of guidance. I will continue to stay involved with TLF because I want to encourage the next generation of minorities to break barriers and work in communications fields. The only way we can diversify content in media and  is to be a part of the teams that come up with the ideas.  

My past experiences include interning with CPM Mass Public, a communications agency in Spain, Walt & Company, a tech PR agency in Silicon Valley, and I just completed an internship with SXSW as a Startup Research intern. Working in entertainment/media has always been a dream of mine. Compared to when I was younger, there is a huge increase in diverse content, but this is just the beginning. Media and entertainment should display the social makeup of the world we live in and this is why I am pursuing my dual degree. 

Thank you to my mom for always supporting my dreams and to TLF for giving me this opportunity.