Howard student learns to embrace her authentic self as a sports journalist

During my year as a Rhoden Fellow, I found a community of inspiring women who helped me realize how bringing my authentic self aligns me with the right people, right places and right opportunities.

When I arrived at Howard University as a freshman two years ago, I was an ambitious journalism student eager to write. But so were hundreds of other students, and while I managed to evade comparison, I struggled to maintain my passion, mostly wondering if anyone would care what I had to say.

I had wanted to be a journalist since I was 12 years old because writing was my identity. But writing for a career did not seem to include the element of authenticity; it seemed like being a journalist required me to take my own voice out of writing.

Back then, I didn’t know that outlets such as ESPN’s Andscape were working against that. Last summer, I headed to ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Conn., for my first internship and started a new chapter as a Rhoden Fellow for Andscape.

Before beginning my fellowship, I easily fell into habits of pleasing people. However, after arriving in Bristol, I became part of a culture that celebrated bold authenticity and learned that few people tune into ESPN to only hear scores and stats — viewers want a story and people to tell it how it is. Andscape proved to me that, as a Black woman, I didn’t need to take my perspective, experiences and voice out of my writing to be a powerful storyteller.

The Rhoden Fellowship taught me how to silence fear of rejection and be firm in my voice. It was something I caught on to within days of working for Andscape. During my first week as an intern, boldness looked like asking if we could cover the NBA draft. Then it looked like sitting in the front row of NFL training camp news conferences with seasoned journalists. I even suggested a change to a script on First Take.

During my time as a Rhoden Fellow, I’ve represented Howard on the ESPN campus, gaining experience on live sets. I’ve gone out on my own to represent Andscape and worked at Madison Square Garden as a media professional. At 21, I’ve worked with distinguished talent in and around sports to break news and tell compelling stories to a national audience.

At different stages of my life I’ve been called bossy or sassy, and I’ve been told, “You’d make a great lawyer.” For myself and other Black girls, the assertion often sounds like, “You’re so intimidating,” even when coming from other women. It felt like the only way to climb the ladder was by watering myself down. How was I supposed to find acceptance if who I am was not … accepted?

So, I shrank.

Shrinking oneself for acceptance and belonging can look like many things. It’s changing the tone of your voice to sound softer. It’s avoiding conflict to seem easygoing. It’s abandoning personal style to be taken more seriously. It’s working more to get significantly less. We are people, not products. We don’t need to sell ourselves to market desires in the hopes that someone will buy in.

Being a woman in sports required me to unlearn all of the self-effacing habits I picked up under the social guise of poise. Ironically, the most poised women I’ve met — sports commentators Ari Chambers, Andraya Carter and Taylor Rooks, reporter Mia Berry, Rhoden Fellowship coordinator Kimberly Jarvis and so many more — were grounded in their true selves. Being a Rhoden Fellow taught me there’s no such thing as being too much. When I look at my fellowship colleagues Alauna Marable, Calandrea Carter and Raigan Lydon, I’m inspired to be boldly authentic because that’s what got us here.

It became clear: I never needed to make myself smaller. I just needed to go somewhere bigger.

The weight of authenticity doesn’t drag me down anymore. It has anchored me exactly where I wanted to be.