EDUCATION:

Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS —   Bachelor’s Degree (May 2019)

Communications: Double concentrations in Journalism and Broadcasting with a language minor in Latin 

SKILLS: 

Journalism, Copy Editing, AP Style, Multi-platform Storytelling, Videography, Video Editing, SEO, Adobe Creative Suite, Latin language: reading and writing, HTML 5

PUBLICATIONS: 

"Party Favors” TEXLANDIA Magazine June 2022

“Instagram is Nonfiction” Stellium Literary Magazine Jan. 2022: Issue 5: The Cusp Prize Issue

“23” Stellium Literary Magazine Feb. 2021: 83-88. Issue 1

 “Going Home With Grace” CP Quarterly Jan. 2020: 8-11. Issue 5 

Surviving the White Washing of Media Row. Lee (Author), Unbias the News: Why Diversity Matters in Journalism (pp. 88-92).

EXPERIENCE:

Associate Editor – Howard University Washington, DC

January 2023 - Present 

  • Perform duties as sole owner of The Dig, the University news hub with compiling, pitching, writing and editing stories 

  • Copy-edit and fact check all work on behalf of the Office of University Communications 

  • Write social media posts to market content across various channels in creative ways

  • Conduct alternative forms of content; including videos, multimedia, graphics to compose strong digital stories

Racial-Equity Reporter —  The Black Lens & The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Washington

June 2021 - July 2022

  • Build racial-equity beat into hard news, Sunday feature stories, breaking news, research-based articles, food and music reviews and essays related to the U.S. Constitution and the Naturalization test, promoting Spokesman-Review diversity readership by 40%

  • Partner and produce special projects and stories with Spokane Public Schools, the Northwest Passages Literary Book Club and NAACP 

  • Teach racial-equity reporting seminars at Whitworth University, Gonzaga University and Crofton High School along with meeting the Kenyan Parliament as Spokane’s community DEI community liaison

Founder, Columnist — Extremely Unimpressed,  Remote 

September 2020 - Present 

  • Conduct independent research and write timely column posts about American topics such as race, music and culture 

  • Create digital strategy for appropriate including time posting, online polls and other audience outreach tools

  • Compose and edit copy for social channels such as Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook through Microsoft Office

Digital + Social Content Intern — Edelman PR, Washington D.C. 

January 2020 - May 2020 

  • Compose and edit copy for internal newsletters and website for office’s Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook 

  • Participate on story mining projects including editing and finalizing video for the intended client message through Adobe Creative Suite 

  • Assist account teams with day-to-day execution of client work, including conducting research, writing and editing documents, compiling media lists, meeting notes and updated status reports

Contributing Long Form Writing + Editor — Anne Arundel County Nonfiction Writing Group, Odenton, MD

September 2019 - February 2020

  • Discuss material in collaborative round table discussions with the author and attending members 

  • Conduct one-on-one poetry and nonfiction edits with fellow members

  • Review writing topics such as character development and strengthening use of dialogue in discussions, writing exercises and sharing material. 

Reporter —  New York Times Student Journalism Institute, New York City, New York

May - June 2019   

  • Interview, report, research to compose two articles with New York Times’ editors and reporters in one week   

  • Craft tweets and Facebook posts to accompany and promote stories online  

  • Attend seminars with Times staff and skill-building programs for photography, social media and pitching meetings 

Digital WNBA Beat Writer  —  Hoopfeed.com, Washington, D.C. - Starkville, Mississippi

May 2017 - May 2020

  • Compose game recaps, features, and profiles throughout the WNBA with an emphasis on the Washington Mystics

  • Provide full coverage of Southeastern Conference women’s basketball with an emphasis on Mississippi State’s women’s basketball team

  • Attend weekly press conferences, practices and other events to obtain information through social media

Reporter At Large  —  Commercial Dispatch, Starkville, Mississippi

March 2017, August 2018 - May 2019

  • Cover local sports and act as a stand-in reporter for Mississippi State’s baseball and basketball teams

  • Focus on reporting geared toward local communities for the print edition of newspapers

  • Learn interviewing techniques to improve profile writing and storytelling tactics

Chief Journalist + Social Media Editor — HCDC Visionary, Starkville, Mississippi

August 2018 - May 2019  

  • Coordinate social media posts for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and official school websites in relation to audience and school activities  

  • Interview HCDC collegiate members for student spotlights and write events related to MSU’s Holmes Cultural Diversity Center  

  • Copy edit staff content for appropriate social media platforms

Production Associate, Student Anchor —  MSU TV Center - Starkville, Mississippi  

January - May, August - November 2018

  • Produce packages, VOSOTS and scriptwriting for weekly school broadcasting with Adobe Premiere and Rundown Creator 

  • Solo and co-anchor 28-minute shows with breaking news, 2018 mid-election updates and news related to the northeastern Mississippi and northwestern Alabama area

  • Operate as a standby TV Center employee to assist shows, events and other impromptu local work including on weekends

AWARDS:

Texlandia ‘Best in the Land’ Contest Judge Cameron Dezen Hammon on Creative Nonfiction Prize - “Party Favors”

“Party Favors” is a voice-thick coming-of-self story about a young Black college student negotiating her identity between cliques and subcultures. A party (not a kick back) she doesn’t want to be at erupts in near-violence and the narrator is forced to face the disintegration of freshman-year friendships past their sell-by date, as well her own growing sexual and emotional maturity. At times, “Party Favors” leans toward the psychic force of Kiese Laymon’s "Heavy," and the musicality of Junot Diaz’s "This Is How You Lose Her." This writer is one to watch."

2nd Place Cusp Prize - “Instagram is Nonfiction”

Society of Professional Journalists Region 10

1st Place Sports Feature: Fadya Hakare prepares for amateur boxing debut”

1st Place Social Equity Reporting: Indigenous Issues