When you think about who your hero is and work toward becoming that person, you ultimately become the hero someone else is looking for

How long have you been a part of the VCU community, and what brought you here?

This is going into my third year teaching. A close friend of mine, who is a professor at VCU, asked if I would be interested in teaching this graduate course. With the work that I've done here in the community, the city of Richmond, and nationally, I felt like I would definitely love to be a part of this program.

 

What motivates you to be in the field of mass communications?

Mass communication has an ability to inspire folks to join, act, engage, and contribute. Through the lens of using creative thinking, analytical thinking, and problem-solving, we are able to connect with folks on a different level.

I think there's a delicate balance of understanding your community, the people you are trying to reach, how you're trying to inform them, and how you're trying to engage them to where they feel like they are emotionally engaged with your conversation.

There is a level of transparency of being able to communicate with a large group of individuals, not knowing their overall gender, age, and demographic. But being able to reach them by connecting with something that's important to them is vital.

 

What drew you to be a part of the graduate program, and what makes it unique? 

Since being here in 2015, I’ve been able to see VCU grow. It's the way that we prepare our students and stand in the face of negativity with diversity, creativity, and empowerment. You look at all the accolades that we've gotten over the years—for diversity, DEI, engagement, creativity, empowerment—all things that we've done in consistency with what's going on in the world.

It looked to me as a university that's not only a beacon for the institution, but also for the city as well as our society. I think we are acutely aware of what's happening around us and we are at the forefront of taking the lead to do things about it.

For instance, the murder of George Floyd. I specifically remember when our president immediately put out a release around police brutality and racism, and stood firm on that. And there's other things that I've seen us do, where we are at the forefront leading those conversations rather than just following them. 

 

And for you, what's been the most rewarding aspect of teaching?

The most rewarding thing happened in my class of Spring 2024. I really got good at teaching the class asynchronously, so much so that they orchestrated events after class because they wanted to be more engaged. We would grab cocktails, have dinner, and enjoy coffee. I think we had probably three or four events where we met and literally half the class was in attendance…it was great. They even surprised me last year when I was awarded the 2024 RVA Community Baker Award at the VMFA. Half of my class showed up to support me and we were all in tears. And we just built really, really good relationships in our class.

And I still stay connected with them even today. The most rewarding thing is being able to have individuals in today's current climate that want to meet outside of class, engage in more content, get to know their peers more, spend more time with their professor, and continue that learning experience.

 

How would you describe your teaching style?

Energy, enthusiasm, transparency. I believe enthusiasm is contagious. When individuals see your enthusiasm—about class, about the subject, about the lessons, about the modules, about the content—it's just inevitable that you’re going to start to make them more inspired. Challenge me, and I’ll challenge you. Every time we’re in class, in every session, and even throughout the week as we prepare and finish our projects—push me, because it will make me a better professor, make you a better student, and ultimately make the course stronger. And then the last thing I always tell them is that I am going to pour into them. 100% pour everything that I am into them in this course, understanding that they're going to pour right back into me.

 

I created what's called Touch Space Thursdays. So every Thursday, I'll record a video [to answer] any questions that I've got over the assignments since the module's been assigned, any issues are happening with access, and any questions they have about the project. And then there's always something around the content of what we're talking about. There's either an article or something in there that they can refer to and then there's also a conversation prompt. You don't get graded on it and don't have to answer it if you don't want to, but it persists with what's happening in today's world. It's just a way for me to stay connected with them and engage with them in a space where they feel comfortable having a conversation about it.

 

What can students expect out of your class next semester? 

I would say what we just discussed, but I would also add to the conversation of purpose, awareness, and confidence. As you're going through your journey, sometimes you've identified your purpose, sometimes you're aligning with your purpose, and sometimes you're not—You're just kind of figuring it out. I'm going to help you be aware of your purpose, help you identify your purpose, your morals, your values, your predictions, if you haven't identified that already. And then I want you to be aware of how that purpose fits in the society around you, and then give you the confidence to go out and change the world. So when students come in, that's what they can expect.

 

What's one piece of advice you would give to incoming students that are either going into the graduate program in general or going into your class?

Just be prepared to be challenged. Be prepared to be inspired. Be prepared to be confident in your abilities, your skill sets, your values, your knowledge, and then go out into the world and make impactful change.

That's what my purpose is: to help others see their potential but also their ability to reach their potential and sit in a space where they are empowered to be the heroes that they seek. When you think about who your hero is and work toward becoming that person, you ultimately become the hero someone else is looking for.