Throwback Thursday – To commemorate the 10th year of SXTXState, each Thursday we’ll be featuring past participants in the project. Check back each Thursday until SXSW to find out what SXTXState alumni remember from their time with the project and what they are up to now.

Andrew Waldrup is a Senior Product Manager who is leading mobile app development at Spredfast, a social marketing software company out of Austin. Waldrup participated in the SXTXState project in 2010. I had the chance to reach out to Andrew to see what he has been up to since his time at Texas State University.

Tell me about some of your current work you’re doing and how you got started?

I started at Spredfast in 2012 when I joined the support and services team. Within a year I had moved to the product management team, initially leading our sustaining engineering and minor features teams. I moved through various areas of the product over the years and soon an opportunity came around in the shape of mobile. I jumped at the opportunity to lead our mobile efforts and have been working in the Spredfast mobile space for the past couple of years. We have two apps: Spredfast Conversations and Spredfast Capture – available on Android and iOS.

How was life after college before you began your current position?

I was working full time at T-Mobile throughout college. Toward the end of my last year at Texas State, I started interning at Gowalla while dropping down to part time at T-Mobile. After graduation, I ended up joining the Gowalla team full time as Culture Evangelist. It was a hybrid position that mixed business, HR, community and product. We were acquired by Facebook in 2012. I wanted to stay in the social space and was excited about an opportunity at Spredfast.

If you could have done anything different in college what would you have done?

I would’ve prioritized doing more internships.

Do you have any memories that stick out to you from your time on the SXTXState project?

Meeting Josh Williams at the Statesman Social Media Awards where he won the overall award that year. I would soon be working for Josh at Gowalla. I was there with Cindy Royal of Texas State, also a Statesman Social Media Awards winner.

What is the number one thing you would have done differently during the project?

I would’ve done more interviews and networking!

Did participating in the project help you in your current position in any way?

Absolutely. It’s a great life experience and you meet lots of great people. I build on my skills from the project every year. This will be my eighth year at SX.

Do you have any tips for first time SXSW goers?

It flies by. Interview as many people as you can and write tons of content.

Do you have any tips for the SXTXSTATE team for SXSW?

Absorb as much as you can. Own your own experience. It’s up to you to make it everything it can be.

You can also find out more about Andrew by following him on Twitter or connecting on LinkedIn.