Name: Bryce Parr
Hometown: Mondovi
Major: Professional communication and emerging media
Involvement: Stoutonia newspaper staff, including editor-in-chief 2019-20
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in earning your degree? One of the most challenging things during my time in school was learning how to take risks to set myself up to grow. If I've learned anything — and hopefully I have! — we tend to hold ourselves back more than anything. We need to accept that failure happens sometimes, but inaction just guarantees it. I could go on about cliches like "believe in yourself," but at the end of the day pulling the trigger and applying for that scholarship, internship, program certification or whatever challenge is in front of you is the biggest step in personal and professional development. Many of the staffers I've hired have told me, "I didn't think I would be any good at this job," despite having prior experience and qualifications. Just take the risk. We learn from failure, and without it, we can't grow!
What will you appreciate most about your UW-Stout experience? I look back at all the connections I've made with people in my program and outside. I've made so many connections with art students, community members and professors, mostly through my time reporting with the Stoutonia, that are incredibly valuable to my personal and professional life. I hang on to those connections because I never know when they might be able to give me a helping hand or an opportunity to offer my own expertise.
What’s next in your life? I plan to work in content production. I have some communications consulting jobs, writing jobs and other content-focused positions I'm pursuing but nothing concrete yet. I'd also like to move out of the Midwest.
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