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  • Writer's pictureTia Humphries

Oh Howard, How I will miss Thee

Updated: Apr 28, 2020


By: Tia Humphries

When I gave my final charge as senior class president at Dr. Phillips High School, I challenged my fellow classmates to dream a bigger dream. My dream was always to be the next top entertainment reporter and have a be the next Rocsi Diaz from 106 & Park. So, I chased after this dream by scouring for the top journalism schools and stumbled upon Boston University and Emerson College (the school Rocsi attended). After touring those schools, I realized I was chasing her dreams and not my own. My dream would need its own path, shaped by my failures, lessons, and accomplishments, not someone else. My mother constantly reminded me during my college application journey to not put all my eggs in one basket and she was referring to me only applying to PWIs. Boy, was I glad I listened to her. One step on Howard’s campus and I knew I was home.



Howard’s School of Communications welcomed me with open arms and a quick slice of humble pie. I expected to walk in my first class and instantly be handed a microphone and camera to begin my journey as an entertainment reporter. However, it was in Professor Carswell’s Fundamentals of Journalism class that I would learn I must start at the bottom and learn the basics before I ever get in front of a camera. That reality check was necessary because over the next four years I would learn the many responsibilities that would come with being a journalist. Whether it would be covering the Midterm elections, being an editor for The Hilltop, or being the producer for Capstone’s final newscasts, I know I am leaving the school of communications prepared to take on any newsroom.



After touring the Newseum and seeing the journalism memorial wall my senior year, I was also able to visualize the dedication, sacrifice, and obligation journalists have in telling the truth to the masses. This profession is not for the weak and can make or break a person in the process. However, the reward of telling stories that matter and shaping history is an indescribable feeling that not everyone gets to experience. I am honored to be graduating from Howard University’s Cathy Hughes School of Communication with a degree in Journalism because I know this degree was earned and comes with high expectations to be a changemaker in this world.



Howard has taught me many things, but the most important lesson I take with me is knowing who I am as a black woman and an understanding of my people's history. Our history does not begin at slavery, nor is it defined by those who try to silence our voices. We were always great, and it is essential to understand that, so we won't experience the same struggles our ancestors did. We cannot compete against systems that were built to destroy us because they inevitably try to ruin our natural-born light and greatness. We can only challenge ourselves daily to show up and show out and share with the world what we are cable of doing. To be black is an honor, but to be black and unapologetic is a natural-born right that we must uphold. As a black journalist, I hope to one day have own television network solely dedicated to changing the single-story narrative of black people around the world and tell our stories that have been hidden from generation to generation. After all, the role of a journalist is to tell the truth.


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