Tell us a little about yourself 
I was born and raised in Galveston, Texas. When I was about twelve we moved to a small suburb of Houston called Friendswood. After my sister graduated high school last year my parents moved back to Galveston so that’s where I call home. I currently attend UTA and just finished my third year there but am classified as a senior (graduating in December, yay). I am majoring in Public Relations and Advertising with a minor in Spanish. I found Ardent through an Ad Crawl that the UTA chapter of AAF hosted. We toured five different agencies in Fort Worth and Ardent was one of them! I got to talk to Jay, Nick and Elise and got their cards. A couple months and emails later I had an internship!

What do you do when you aren’t working?
Outside of school and work I spend a lot of time with my friends from the UTA Wesley. It’s an on-campus student ministry that worships once a week, hosts bible studies and just has fun events to build community. It’s my home away from home and pretty much where I’ve met all my closest friends in college. We have movie nights, take road trips together, go camping, go rock climbing, go rollerskating …. sometimes we even pretend we’re fancy and go out to dinner. I also like to spend me-time watching Netflix with my dog Crystal, writing for my blog, or being crafty (photography, canvas painting, making home decor).

What is unique about you?

• Between Kindergarten and 6th grade I attended just about every type of school out there (private school, homeschooled, charter school, magnet school, public school).
• I played softball for 12 years.
• I’m getting into multi-sport races and loving it! I ran a triathlon my senior year of high school and am currently training for an Aquathlon (swim and run) that’s in July!
• I can play the flute and piccolo.

Favorite trip you’ve taken?
I studied abroad for a month last summer in Cuernavaca, Mexico! It’s definitely one of my favorite months of my life! I stayed with the sweetest host family and attended school 5 days a week. After school my friends and I would explore the town, and then on weekends we went on excursions! We got to hike pyramids, swim in natural springs and learn all about the local culture!

Do you have a nickname?
Andrea Jo or AJ (my middle name is Jo)

What is at the top of your bucket list?
I want to visit and attend a game at every baseball park in America, traveling in and living out of a Volkswagen van.

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you like to see cast as you?
Blake Lively for sure.

If you had to eat one meal, every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Tuna patties with pasta and cheesy broccoli. My mom made this growing up and it has always been my favorite meal (we get to pick the meal on our birthdays and this is what I always pick).

Motto or personal mantra?
It’s a cheesy one but I really like it: happiness is a journey, not a destination. I feel like we all have a tendency to get caught up in wanting the big moments in our life to hurry up and arrive. I am constantly reminding myself to enjoy the path to those moments just as much and not let that time just slip by.

Three words to best describe you
I couldn’t decide so here’s a few: happy (said all my friends, “Andrea, you’re just so …. happy.”), organized, goofy, motivated, active, creative

What aspect of your role do you enjoy the most?
Working with passionate people! Everyone at Ardent is passionate about their department, skills and what they do. That all comes together to create something for the clients who are passionate about their business! Passionate people are the best people to work with and learn from!

What did you want to be when growing up?
My first pick was an Astros baseball player but my parents warned me that it might not be possible so I settled for an Astros sports reporter.

What music is on your playlist?
My favorite playlist contains Alexander Hamilton (Hamilton), How Far I’ll Go (Moana), Tequila (Dan + Shay) and Dangerous Woman (Arianna Grande).

What’s the last joke you recall?
How do you find Will Smith in the snow? You check for fresh prints.

What is the first thing you would buy if you won the lottery?
An old and rusty blue Ford truck just to park in my yard. I call them bubble trucks,