It’s safe to say that Florida A&M University has taken the initiative in developing some of the nation’s finest Broadcast Journalist of the future. Many students during their Spring semester hunt for internship in their specific major to help prepare them for their career. Many apply, however only a few can make it. Sierra Brown, Senior at FAMU did that just that and made it earning her a Internship with NBC Studios.
Sierra Brown, 22 years old, was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia and is a Broadcast Journalism major who basically “slipped” into her current major. She previously was a Psychology major and one weekend while strolling throughout her campus she saw that the Journalism department was a hosting an event. She was curious to see what was going on and was then given a tour of the department by one of the deans. She took one look at the cameras, the news reporting room, and the studio and knew this is what she wanted to do. “It was just something in me, I just felt it inside that this what I wanted to do.” Brown said. There was no in-depth reasoning on why Brown wanted to pursue journalism, she was an excellent writer in her early ages and it became a part of her daily craft. Brown jokingly calls herself a “Journalism Nerd”, because she enjoys watching CNN, local news channels, and etc. Sierra Brown personifies journalism.
Brown made the right choice to follow her heart, she now currently serves as Assistant Producer for the FAMU based radio show, “FAMU Now” and also serves as Associate Editor for the FAMU Newsletter with hopes of becoming Editor-In-Chief in this school year.
Brown will be beginning the internship this Summer aiding in the preparation for the 2016 Rio Olympics, she will not be traveling to Brazil, but she will be based out of Stanford Connecticut NBC Office. Prior to receiving the internship she initially thought there was a not a good chance she was going to get it because she was on the wait list. However, after receiving guidance and wisdom from her dean she stayed encouraged. Months later, NBC came to her school recruiting, found out she had applied and gave the internship in the “blink of an eye.” Receiving this internship gave Brown a boost of confidence in herself and her abilities, prior to coming to FAMU she attended predominantly white institutions in grade school she stated, “I felt that I had work harder than my friends to earn something.”
Over to 2,000 students applied and Sierra made sure she would be one of the many well qualified students. Brown is not quite sure yet what she wants to do with her major but did say, ” I want to be a shot caller and be the one to determine what is news worthy. I want to change how minorities are portrayed in the media.”
It’s clear that the future is indeed bright for this rising Senior who will soon be in her career field. Brown ended her interview with a quote so monumental and incredible to hear, ” Journalism is me, I am Journalism.” To keep up with Sierra Brown’s journey, follow her social media handles, Instagram – @SierraRaequel , Twitter – @SierraRaequel.
