I am very proud to be part of the Morgan State University’s 2018 graduating class. Through hard work and a little luck I will finish with a degree in multimedia journalism.

As my time here at the MSU Spokesman comes to a close, I am thankful for how it has made me not just a better writer, but a better person as well.

In 2015 I started at the Spokesman as a writer.  The staff of less than ten would squeeze into a tiny meeting room every week for meetings.

It was far from glamorous but we were writing and publishing news. My passion for reporting started to develop in these hot and sometimes loud meetings.

My first major story for the paper was about the Million Man March in 2015. I chose this story because I could offer a unique perspective since I attended the march in 1995 as a child.

My article was rough, and I struggled with the reporting, but the pride I felt in that coverage gave me a new outlook on my life as a journalist.

I was nervous when I first came to Morgan. I am a non-traditional student that is starting over in a second career. I was a chef in the restaurant industry for ten years, so hitting the reset button was not an easy decision to make.

But, working for the Spokesman was my first step to building confidence as a journalist.

That step for me came in the spring of 2017 when it was announced that the Spokesman would be adding a Sports Editor position. My goal in life is to cover sports, so I knew that this position would be perfect for me. I approached this opportunity with full vigor, and treated it as my first real journalism job.

I went all in with my coverage of Morgan’s athletic teams this past year. I followed teams on the road to away games so that I could offer full coverage, as well as gain experience as a reporter.

Starting with an interview with the new athletic director, Ed Scott, I developed a relationship with the department that gave the Spokesman new access to sports that it did not have before.

My proudest moment as an editor came during my trip to New Jersey for the football game at Rutgers University. I got a chance to shed light on the payment process that goes on when a smaller school like Morgan plays bigger schools. I sat down with AD Scott and discussed the importance of these games to the financial support of the athletic department as a whole.

The connections that I have made in my time at the Spokesman will be helpful in the future. I used this paper to become a better writer, editor, reporter, and even broadcaster.

I hope that the next group of writers and editors realize the importance of using this paper to its maximum potential.

With the way that journalism is evolving, the Spokesman was a great tool that I used to prepare me for the next step after graduation –– life.