Behind the Words:
A Look into My Professional Experience
How it Started
Born and raised in Michigan, I always had a love of reading and creating stories. I began taking writing seriously during my junior year of high school when I began performing spoken word poetry and hosting “open mic” nights at a local church. I was soon invited to perform at state and regional conferences, special community events, and my high school’s graduation ceremony. During this time, I also developed a love for journalism through my high school’s newspaper.
Becoming
After graduating from high school, I traveled roughly 1,000 miles from home to attend Grambling State University where I majored in Mass Communications. During my time at Grambling, I was inducted into the Earl Lester Cole Honors College and joined a cohort of students chosen to be gifted a library of books chosen by the administrative leadership of the University. We would regularly meet with the administration and review the importance and impact of each title.
In addition to my studies, I wrote and copyedited for The Gramblinite student newspaper. Subsequently, my work was cross-published by other Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) across the State of Louisiana, including Southern University and Xavier University, and in professional newspapers including BlackAmericaWeb.com and St. Louis American.
The Journalist
Working as a freelance journalist, I’ve written regularly for several small press publications including The Jackson Blazer, The Minden Press-Herald, and The Shreveport Sun.
The Marketing Professional
As a contract marketing and events professional, I’ve hosted events, managed ticketing, and written and distributed press releases for artists such as Gladys Knight, Leanne Rimes, The Temptations, and Smokey Robinson.
Supporting small businesses in North Louisiana with written and visual communications and promotional assistance eventually merged into me providing social media management for The City of Minden, several nonprofit organizations, and small to mid-size businesses.
I've also gained substantial experience in writing content for small businesses, political campaigns and national brands since 2021.
.jpg)
Literary Citizenship
At Grambling, I befriended other literary-minded students and formed a spoken word poetry group. Each week, the group hosted poetry nights on campus and garnered consistent attention for our commitment to new and innovative material.
As a poet, I’ve self-published a book of poetry entitled, Divine Original, and traveled throughout the region giving spoken word performances.
Achievements
For my work in communications and marketing, I was honored as one of 2019’s “15 Under Forty Top Young Professionals” by the Greater Minden Chamber of Commerce.
Community Artivism
Within my community, I’ve served as a board member and second vice president of Cultural Crossroads of Minden, a four-acre, community-based agricultural and arts farmers market in the middle of an underserved neighborhood. As a part of my service to this organization, I managed social media, distributed take-home art project kits to pre-schoolers during the COVID-19 pandemic and provided direction and support for the implementation of policies, programming and financial distribution.
The Project Reclaim of Minden’s Leadership Academy is an organization that supports at-risk youth. As their volunteer, I guided middle and high school students through the basics of creating news stories and their own newsletters with the sole goal in mind to teach future generations of writers how share their ideas and visions with the world through literary arts.
Most recently, I've worked with the nonprofit organization, #TeenWritersProject on social media and outreach strategies and with author Jade De'Janerio as an editor for her first children's book, "Talk to Me, and I will Listen."
What's Next?
I'm open to freelance opportunities and meeting the communication needs of small businesses like yours! Feel free to contact me to discuss how I can help!
Contact
I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.
318-464-5402