WASHINGTON (WUSA9) -- You never forget the college educators who helped to shape and mold you into greatness. This week, I participated in a captivating panel discussion with three pioneering professors at my alma mater, Howard University. Dr. Bishetta Merritt, Dr. Paula Matabane and Dr. Lawrence Kaggwa have a combined century plus worth of service to Howard's School of Communications.
Dr. Kaggwa was my instructor for reporting and writing. The Journalism Professor tried (unsuccessfully) to get all of the future broadcasters to cross over to the "better side." Meaning … newspapers! Dr. Merritt served as Chair for the Department of Radio, TV and Film and taught incredible lessons on mass communications and the power of imagery. And, as an Associate Professor with the Department of Radio, TV and Film, Dr. Matabane challenged her students to tap into their identities to fully understand the stories they intended to unearth for the world.
What all three of these seasoned instructors gave me and other Howard students is a commitment to excellence, a responsibility to be ambassadors for our communities, a desire to be great story sharers (in various forms) and the wings to soar.
We discussed what they intended to do through their instruction and their hopes for the future. I was joined by two fellow alums who are success stories in their own right: Jennifer Thomas, who built a career as a producer at CNN and is now an Associate Professor for Broadcast Journalism professor at HU's School of Communications, and Anthony Harper, an award winning filmmaker and editor at Discovery Communications.
It was a such an honor to be in the company of our #HULegends. They reminded me that we all have an obligation in life to lift as we climb.
