I came to Howard as an economics major. I didn’t know what I wanted to do or who I wanted to be. But what I did know was that I have a voice—and the mentality to use that voice to move mountains. That truth ultimately brought me to journalism.
In my sophomore year, I took a visual journalism class, taught by a professor who was a video journalist. I can’t fully explain it, but on the very first day, I felt a sensation in the back of my head—something I interpreted as a sign that I had found my route in life: to pick up a camera and begin documenting the world around me. I realized I could use my voice to visually tell stories that could change the world.
The first publication to give me a chance was The Hilltop. I came on as a photographer, documenting campus life every week. But I knew there was more I could do. By the time I became a junior, I started branching out into videography—and that’s where my dream of storytelling was born.
I noticed something important: people would rather be told stories visually and audibly than read them. I saw an intersection—an opportunity to bridge documentary filmmaking with fast-paced journalism in a way that hadn’t been done before in The Hilltop’s 100-year history. So together with my visuals editor at the time, Juan Benn Jr., we created the first-ever video story the paper had produced since its founding in 1924.
During my tenure as visuals editor, we committed to building out a full videography department that follows the format I created. Not to mention the photos that my team and I created during the hectic election time as well as the calmness of everyday life. All of this—every milestone—was only possible because of the people who believed in me and stood by me through my mistakes. Those people who saw my achievements before I even did. Those people who let me lead them. I appreciate you all deeply.
As I walk away from this paper, I am filled with immense joy and pride that I am not only within a deep legacy but trailblazing my own. No matter how far I build on this journey of storytelling, I will never forget the foundation The Hilltop gave me.
Copy edited by Camiryn Stepteau