Communication studies alum throws parties for a living

Brenna Malard '23 never knows what she'll be working on next. As the Red River Market manager for Folkways, a Fargo, N.D. non-profit that hosts community food, art and music events and programs, she uses her interpersonal skills and her imaginative flair to make Fargo-Moorhead "the best small city in America".

Brenna transferred to Minnesota State Moorhead on the tail end of the COVID epidemic, planning to prepare for law school, but her immersion in campus jobs and communication-focused courses expanded her sense of what she could do with skills in active listening and collaborative dialogue.

At first lonely at Moorhead, Brenna vowed to get more involved during her senior year. She joined the campus events team, Dragon Entertainment Group, and served as content specialist for the Marketing & Communications Office – planning student events and writing about students and alumni throughout the year.

"There was always something happening at Moorhead," she says. "The spaces and events are provided for you; you just show up."

In her classes, Brenna further witnessed hospitality for students, with her professors' dedication to student success.

"I had Paul Kramer in nearly all my political science classes and Theresa Hest and Denise Gorsline in communication studies. They brought so much passion," she says. "I will always remember their mentality."

These communication studies and political science professors focused on teaching students to speak well, and Brenna believes that she got a student internship at Folkways because of the practice interviews they did in class.

Kay Jenkins, incoming Moorhead transfer student, visits the Red River Market booth

"And now, I talk with many people at the Red River Market every week," she says.

At Moorhead, Brenna also learned how to tackle new and somewhat unconventional tasks every day.

"MSUM taught me to hustle – how to be busy but 'do busy well'," she says. "My courses and time with the events and marketing teams prepared me for my role in events, because events are all about rolling with the punches. I talk to hundreds of vendors and volunteers a day, so I have to keep that all in order and be okay with not being able to please everyone."

Originally from Bismarck, Brenna has fallen in love with the Fargo-Moorhead community and helping others recognize the sense of delight, growth and belonging that it offers.

"I hear people say that this region is small, but there's so much going on," she says. "At our events, you run into people you know, you meet the artists that painted the street mural you're walking on, you buy produce from local farmers, and you watch high school students volunteering. I can see how much people care to be involved – what it means when we all come together versus what it feels like when you're alone."

Considering herself more systematic than inventive, Brenna learned in her Moorhead communications courses and events-planning experiences that "'creative' can look different".

"I tell people that I get to throw parties for a living," she says. "My meetings might consist of what costume I'm wearing. I'm lucky to have a trendy, fun yet meaningful job, making tiny moments of magic."