Fellows

From my high school years to my present, media has always been a part of my life.  I had an urge to express myself, through my art, videos, and other mediums. As a visual communications student in high school, I wanted to impact people with my graphic design. That urge later developed into wanting to impact others with my stories. During my undergrad career at Howard University I studied film production. I wanted to express myself through my scripts and shorts. I always wondered how different other people lives were and I loved to imagine what their stories might be. Some of those interesting musings would become my scripts. In all my work I wanted to form a connection with my audience. Connection is always key.  

I was taught at a young age that I could do whatever I put my mind to. So after graduating from college with a B.S. in Business Marketing/Management, I started Expressive Frontier, a virtual brand/marketing consultancy. My aim was to target small businesses and start-ups who needed branding/re-branding services optimized by using the Internet. Experience after experience, the passion for creatively packaging and distributing a message grew with each client. I also understood a gift is only great when shared. I vowed to use my brand marketing training in ways that reflect well on our community in every capacity. My approach to business is similar to my approach to life – we are on one constant journey. Therefore, my mind is a brand/marketing vessel traveling the world in search of new adventures through business. I’ve always wanted to apply my specialty towards a project, which has resulted in much more than just increased sales or boosted public appearances. When I came across the PMC Fellowship program, I was intrigued by the NBPC platform. With a bit of forward thinking, I began to envision how online media, when regionally focused, can effect change from the community to national level. With a great interest sparked, I reached out to PMC in hopes of helping navigate through the vast unexplored realm of regionally focused online media.

I am a broadcast journalist whose work has taken me all over the country and around the world. I was initially bitten by the ‘journalism bug’ when I was writing my Duke University senior paper about the desegregation of Durham. After graduation, I worked at a local television station in Jacksonville, Florida as a writer and production assistant. The following year, I received a fellowship to New York University, where I earned my Master’s degree in Journalism. While at NYU, I interned at Bloomberg Television. I made my debut as a television reporter in Fort Myers, Florida, continued to earn my “reporting stripes” while working in Washington D.C., and most recently I worked in Boston, Massachusetts as the host of the UPN38 Morning Show. My professional endeavors extend far beyond television. I have written for several publications, including the Baystate Banner and Boston Magazine where I followed a New England farmer to Cuba as he brokered an agricultural deal with Fidel Castro. Last year, I earned my Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

I learned about the Public Media Corps several months ago through one of the public media organizations I follow on Twitter, and I was excited to join once I read about the Corps’ goals. For much of my career, I’ve worked in public media because I believe in the programming that public broadcasters can deliver to audiences — particularly in a time when so many commercial media outlets place profit over public service. Today, however, public media’s role in a community should go beyond the one-way street of delivering programs, as high quality as that content might be. Public media should also be inviting audience members to transcend the common role of being passive viewers and listeners by encouraging them to become participants. Public broadcasters can help individuals express themselves and see their hopes and beliefs reflected to the broader public. And on a community level, public media should provide common spaces — whether real or virtual — where community members can work together to shape the future of where they live, identifying common problems and finding solutions.

While studying Film and African-American history at Howard University, my professors always encouraged me to see the world through another lens… and that’s exactly what I did! Living abroad in the Philippines and interning with a small, independent film studio exposed me to another culture – offering new perspectives and a myriad of diverse experiences. Working as a community organizer for the Federal Communications Commission fostered my commitment to community service and public interest. As a PMC fellow, I will further that commitment by developing innovative media solutions to ensure that underrepresented communities are prepared to compete in today’s world of twenty-first century technology.

Social media has immense potential to change everything in our society. From what we watch on television to what stories are considered “newsworthy” to how we connect with one another, the Internet changes all the traditional methods of engagement. Five years ago, I was unaware of the untapped power, just using the Internet for my own personal entertainment. However, after learning to blog, blogging professionally, watching the influence of social media grow and watching how the new media environment can either change or reinforce existing social dynamics, I was motivated to do more community outreach. I joined Public Media Corps in hopes to continue spreading information about the use of social media and to ensure that no communities are left behind in this new digital age.

I am a photographer, the Visual Arts editor of the grassroots publication Liberator Magazine, and a blogger for Charm City Current, a blog collective developed by the Baltimore Sun. I currently live and work in Washington, D.C.. I was born during the 1980s in the Windy City where, from an early age, I developed a love of the arts (especially photography) and writing. These interests led me to New Expression, a teen-oriented monthly newsmagazine written, produced, and edited by, for and about teenagers in the Chicago-land area. My interests led me to earn my B.A. (with honors) in print journalism from Howard University. During college, I wrote and served as Campus Editor for the campus newspaper, The Hilltop, for two years aand interned for a variety of news organizations. I also earned a M.A. in Digital Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore with a concentration in photography.