Last Thursday, we had the opportunity to hear from former NewsVisionaries for a special homecoming edition of class. Those lovely ladies were Leah Henry(Producer at WJLA), Erin Winters(Digitial Correspondent for National Geographic), Ellyse Ferguson( Digital Producer for News One Now with Roland Martin, and Bianca Burns (Digital Marketer for Coca-Cola). All were star students in Prof. Thomas’ class and are now doing great things in their career fields.
In their lecture, they talked about the importance of staying focused in class and constantly putting out your best work. They stressed that this last year at Howard University will go by very fast and we have to take advantage of the opportunities that we are given within school of communications and throughout the campus. They also mentioned to not stress if you do not land a job immediately after graduation.
They mentioned that depression after graduation is very common and both Leah and Erin had experienced it. Both graduated and were unsure of their future in regards to jobs, and the last thing they wanted to do was to go back home. But they had to let go and trust God. Erin ended up moving back home and participated in a contest to be the next face of a local brand. While Leah stayed in the DC Area and attended the NABJ conference where she was nominated for an award, and also took advantage of the opportunity by networking with people in the media industry. After the conference, Leah stayed persistent with the ABC Affiliate in DC and was able to land a job as an Associate Producer for a local entertainment talk show. Earlier in the year, both were unsure about their next steps but through faith and persistence, they were offered jobs that aligned directly with their journey.
Another major message that they all spoke about was persistence. Many of the opportunities that they have been granted have been due to them not taking the first “no” for an answer. Ellyse stressed that her job with Roland Martin, was not publicly broadcasted but her skill and constant persistence helped open the door for her role as the digital producer for the show.
Lastly, they mentioned taking advantage of everything your job offers. For example, Ellyse mentioned that her ultimate goal is to be on air therefore whenever she is out in the field she makes sure that she creates a stand up that she can add to her reel. At the end of the day she wants to grow as a journalist and she must continue building her brand as one.
I really enjoyed the ladies taking time to speak to us because just a few years ago they were all in our shoes. But through persistence and hard work, they have landed amazing jobs to start their career. It is inspiring to see that although we may not be in the School of Business we are still coming out with jobs that align with our path. I am excited about graduation and even more excited for my journey. I cannot wait until I come back in a few years and can hopefully share my journey with future newsvisonaries. 🙂
Nayo Campbell 