Texas State students launch 11th annual SXTXState project for SXSW

By Jack McClellan
Office of Media Relations
March 9, 2018

SAN MARCOS – Graduate students from Texas State University’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC) will participate in the SXSW Interactive Festival from March 9 to March 17.

Ten students will take part in the SJMC project “SXTXState,” which gives students the opportunity to cover the event through online articles, social media and digital video. The project is in its 11th year.

The project is led by Cindy Royal, the director of Texas State’s Media Innovation Lab. Under Royal’s direction, students were divided into four teams (Social Medial, Web Development, Multimedia Projects and Content) and have worked in preparation throughout the spring semester. The project allows for the students to gain experience in web development, social media management, video and editorial content and data visualization.

The 10 students participating are: Steffanie Agnew, Nicole Avalos, Megan Boyle, Emily Burns, Annabel Fidler, Paloma Gray, Nicole Jones, Logan Self, Sean Smith and Alexandra White. SJMC faculty Jon Zmikly, Dale Blasingame, Jordon Brown and Sara Shields will assist Royal and the students.

In addition, Texas State students will work at SXSW in other capacities. Students will demonstrate innovative projects at the Texas State Innovation Lab and Reception on Sunday, March 11 at the W Austin Hotel ballroom. Undergraduate students will help cover the event and work as interns for SXSW staff.

About Texas State University

Founded in 1899, Texas State University is among the largest universities in Texas with an enrollment of 38,694 students on campuses in San Marcos and Round Rock. Texas State’s 184,000-plus alumni are a powerful force in serving the economic workforce needs of Texas and throughout the world. Designated an Emerging Research University by the State of Texas, Texas State is classified under “Doctoral Universities: Higher Research Activity,” the second-highest designation for research institutions under the Carnegie classification system.