COLLEGE STATION, TX — Courtney Eoff, a sophomore studying at the Mays Business School of Texas A&M, has been playing and composing country music since she was a child. Her skills were really put to the test in late 2020, when she entered a song writing contest for 'Don’t Mess With Texas,' the anti-littering campaign hosted by the Texas Department of Transportation.
"I kind of wanted to include [in the song] the stereotypes of Texas and things that we enjoy, like trucks and dancing - things like that," Eoff said. "So I just decided to put them together and come up with a catchy song that all ages could sing along with. And hopefully it gets stuck in their heads.”
Eoff’s jingle was just one of nearly 140 submitted over this past winter. She had a lot of support behind her, from her church, her fellow Aggie classmates, and the community in her hometown of Rockdale. Eoff was voted straight to the top, along with two other singers. Campaign coordinators then picked her jingle out of the three finalists.
"We picked [based on] some criteria like the catchiness of the song, the lyrics of the song, and sort of who captured the essence of the ‘Don’t Mess With Texas’ campaign from the highest vote-getters," explained Becky Ozuna, campaign manager for 'Don't Mess With Texas.' "And that was Courtney.”
Eoff was announced as the winner earlier this month. Her song will now be used in online promotions and awareness material. She also wins $5,000 worth of home recording studio equipment, donated to the contest by Guitar Center.
"My small town of Rockdale just did an amazing job of supporting me, and sharing it with other people around the community," Eoff said. "...It was just an overwhelming amount of support, and I’m very grateful for it.”