Anna Brennan ’26 grew up as social media was coming of age, shaping how she saw herself and the world around her. Now, the newly crowned Miss Minnesota 2026 is drawing on those experiences and her journalism education at the University of St. Thomas to make media literacy the focus of her statewide platform.
“I actually became passionate about media literacy far before I ever decided that I wanted to go into journalism,” said Brennan, who wrote about her experiences growing up with social media when she was a teen columnist for Rochester's Post Bulletin. Now, set to graduate with her bachelor’s degree in December, she strives to help the next generation better understand the digital content competing for their attention.
(Brandon Woller '17 / University of St. Thomas)
Nearly all U.S. teens use the internet daily, and 40% say they are online almost constantly, according to Pew Research Center. Nearly half say social media sites have a mostly negative effect on people their age, while more than a third say they have been misled by fake information online, according to research from Common Sense Media.
“What I didn't realize going into a journalism major is that you're not just learning how to write and how to take good photos, you're also learning about the ethics behind everything,” Brennan said. “I take a lot of pieces that I've learned from the amazing professors here at St. Thomas and make it more digestible for younger audiences so they can start to think like media creators, not just consume media.”
Brennan also put those skills into practice reporting for The Crest, the student-run publication overseen by Emerging Media faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences. She brings that experience together with her passion for media literacy through Media WELL, an initiative she founded focused on four pillars: literacy, wellness, ethics and legislation.
Winning Miss Minnesota in June has given her a larger platform for that work, including a national stage. She will represent Minnesota at the Miss America 2027 competition in Palm Beach County, Florida, starting Aug. 28 and culminating with the final competition Sept. 6.
Brennan spoke to the St. Thomas Newsroom about her path to journalism and how she hopes to use the Miss Minnesota crown to make an impact beyond the pageant stage.
Explain media literacy in terms of what that means for today's young adults and teens.
Media literacy is basically the idea that we understand how media works so that we can harness the powers of it without harming our quality of life. It's learning how to engage intelligently and intentionally and understanding the inner workings of how media creators create content. When we're consuming everyday content and news media, we can identify biases, understand false information and how to cite sources, and generally just be literate in the information that we consume online and enjoy the benefits of technology without letting it negatively affect our lives.
How did you find your passion for media literacy?
I grew up without social media until I was about 12 years old. Once I finally entered it, I realized that it was a very scary place because I was highly addicted to my device, falling into the manipulation of things like body image issues. I became completely invested in the media and the news when COVID came around and I had a realization that I was letting it run my life. I decided to take steps to try and break away from this addiction. Then, I turned to writing and realized that I really enjoyed sharing my experience and found that a lot of people could relate to my story. That started this rolling ball effect for me. Now, being in journalism, studying the media and beginning to understand the systems that run everything, it all makes sense to me.
How did your education at St. Thomas enhance your understanding of being an ethical media creator?
Ethics is the number one thing we focus on. We focus on transparency and getting the facts right. We focus on how to find good sources and make sure you’re proofreading. People really appreciate it when creators take the time to make quality content. They feel that they can trust me as a person and as a journalist, and that’s our number one thing: to build trust and minimize harm. That’s exactly what I strive to do through my own social media.
"The campus and location were a huge selling point for me. I was born and raised in southern Minnesota, so I decided it was a perfect mix of far enough away from home and the campus was just so gorgeous, along with the fantastic journalism program. I had the opportunity to meet the professors, get to know the program and The Crest, and just fell in love with it. So, the journalism program, knowing that is what I wanted to study, was a huge selling point for me."
Anna Brennan '26
Do you predict any challenges with such an evolving topic like media literacy?
I think the number one thing to understand is that it’s a severely unregulated industry, and it’s simply because it’s so new. I’ve only ever known the internet and technology, but I’ve had conversations with people who have watched this happen in their professional lives and seen how it’s affecting them. The biggest challenge is that we need to figure out the safest way to control it because it can and could grow to some pretty scary places.
(Brandon Woller '17 / University of St. Thomas)
How do we overcome that?
Some level of regulation is inevitable because social media is never going to disappear. The priority should be protecting children. Minnesota recently passed legislation, (Minnesota House File 4138 – the Stop Harms from Addictive Social Media Act, takes effect on July 1, 2027). The bill targets placing some regulations on social media users under the age of 16 in Minnesota. It allows for the implementation of parental controls that will take away targeted advertising and infinite scrolling, along with some other features that cause addiction in these apps. It’s just scratching the surface, but it’s also a good step in the right direction. Minnesota was one of the first in the nation to pass legislation like this. One of my goals as Miss Minnesota and going on to Miss America is to help other states adopt similar regulations.
Looking back at your accomplishments, what have you learned about yourself that surprised you?
Well, when I was younger, I was always a dancer. I was always performing and dressing up, so pageantry just made sense. But I’m realizing that it’s not the clothes, it’s not the fancy shoes, it’s not the title or the crown that really made this year fulfilling. I’ve realized that the reason I enjoy all of this is because of how I’m able to make people feel in these public positions. I always loved performing because I was impacting the audience. So, if I could just go out and do the actions of Miss Minnesota without all of the accolades and shiny things, I would be just as happy. It’s the fact that I’m getting to impact people along the way, and that has been really special.
What are your plans after graduation?
I’m really excited to seek a master’s degree through St. Thomas. I’ve become really interested in the AI leadership graduate program that recently launched, and I would absolutely love to dive into that program and be a part of the growing AI industry. I think there’s a lot that we have yet to understand. I would love to be able to bring that into the Media WELL program and go out to organizations and businesses to serve as an ethical AI liaison or consultant to help people understand these ethical challenges of new technology.
From the story:
Brennan speaks with KAAL-TV about winning Miss Minnesota, applying her education to her career ambitions and sets her sights on competing for Miss America 2027.
