Rhoden Fellowship moves Norfolk State student a step closer to her dream career

If someone had told me a year ago that I’d become a Disney cast member by working for ESPN, my dream company, I would have thought they were lying. Even now, it still feels surreal, as though I’m Sleeping Beauty and haven’t woken up yet.

The year I have spent as a Rhoden Fellow for Andscape has passed quickly, but it has been a superb journey every step of the way. Let’s travel back in time to June 2025 and relive the moments that have shaped me tremendously.

It all started in Bristol, Conn., where ESPN’s headquarters are located. It felt like a very slow place, and the train became my best friend; I went to New York every other weekend.

ESPN was the highlight of Bristol and made it worth the stay. The campus was modern and radiant, and as a sports journalist, I was constantly mesmerized. From the putting greens outside to the various studios inside, I was in heaven, the mecca of the industry, and every day was better than the last. Even after walking onto the SportsCenter studio set, it didn’t really hit me until a few months later: I was an actual employee, and the journalists I saw on television were now my colleagues for the next year.

Bristol served as a training camp. I learned how to tell stories like ESPN writers, what my tasks would be during the academic year and got acquainted with the “espn.com” at the end of my email address.

When I went to Brooklyn, N.Y. — my first time ever in the state — for the 2025 NBA draft, I was nervous because it was my first major assignment as a Rhoden Fellow. The nerves disappeared when I realized the players being drafted were around my age and were simply young adults taking a leap of faith into real life.

While interviewing draftees on the red carpet – thanks to ESPN basketball analyst Monica McNutt – I realized the players and I were pretty similar. We were just kids passionate about our talent, and after continuously working toward a goal, we were granted an amazing opportunity that landed us in the same place at the same time.

That wasn’t my last time in New York for work. I attended NFL training camps for the New York Giants and the New York Jets. Fun fact: The practice facilities for both New York NFL teams are in New Jersey.

Seeing my location as East Rutherford, N.J., was my first surprise at the Giants’ training camp. The second was meeting linebacker Dyontae Johnson, who went to the same high school as I did, Cass Technical High School in Detroit. We talked about the Giants and their upcoming season, but we also had to chat about our shared foundation, because that was where it all started for us.

One of my favorite moments of the fellowship was my first time speaking on national television. While working on a National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) 50th anniversary project for ESPN’s First Take, an opportunity was brought to the Rhoden Fellows’ attention that would end our summer on a high note.

Since the 2025 NABJ Convention was held in Cleveland, I worked on a vignette script with another Rhoden Fellow about the city’s rich sports history. During First Take’s live broadcast during the convention, I was able to sit in the front row and watch my creation come to life.

As beautiful as that moment was, it didn’t compare to holding a microphone with a First Take mic flag on it and asking host Stephen A. Smith a question on the show. Honestly, I was kind of timid, thinking he would troll me in some way, shape or form, but I prayed the bond between my sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, and his fraternity, Omega Psi Phi, would keep me safe … and it did (#colemanlove).

In a full-circle moment, months later, my television career continued when I appeared in The Coach Vick Experience, a BET docuseries about Norfolk State head football coach Michael Vick. (I’m not on Zendaya’s level just yet, but everyone starts somewhere, right?)

All jokes aside, it took me a minute to really see how big of an accomplishment it was, and it’s still something I struggle with. At the time of filming, it didn’t seem like that big of a deal. Later, when the show aired, it hit me like a quarterback throwing a bullet pass that I am a recurring character in a highly discussed docuseries. Not many people can check that off their bucket list while in college.

My peers remind me almost every day about that project, and I discovered I don’t take compliments very well. What are you supposed to say besides “thank you”? I definitely have some work to do in that department.

I went on a few side quests to Atlanta immediately after filming ended. I had a double mission while there in December: providing social media content for the Cricket Celebration Bowl and the Chris Paul HBCU Classic in the same week.

As this year started, I prepared for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) basketball tournament and wrote a story on the Norfolk State women’s basketball team. A push alert for the article was sent via the ESPN app. My family and friends saw the notification before I did and sent me a screenshot of it.

The last event I attended was the most unpredictable: the NCAA women’s basketball Final Four. Though I originally wasn’t scheduled to attend the event, I was grateful for the opportunity to work as a member of the NCAA media coordination team. I flew to Phoenix with an open mind for the event, and it served as a much-needed experience.

Ever since I found out that my hometown of Detroit — what up doe! — was getting another WNBA team, I’ve been thinking a lot about women’s basketball. I made it a goal to work for or cover my home team, so the women’s Final Four was the perfect place for me to build connections with people who have experience working in the women’s basketball space and gain insight on how the women’s side of the sport may work.

What made the experience even better were the teams participating: All of them had a compelling headline on the road to the national title. The media coordination side was extremely new to me, but it opened my eyes to several behind-the-scenes situations and how to handle them, such as when I assisted our Andscape team with media credentials and seating arrangements for the games.

Experiencing these big events definitely upped my cool points, but the little things matter, too, and I was constantly working on smaller projects every week. From the start of the fellowship, my cohorts and I have been producing podcasts, creating 60- to 65-second “Take of the Week” videos on trending topics, and pitching story ideas.

I remember feeling like a proud mom watching her baby take their first steps when my first story was published. It always feels good to see your hard work pay off. It reminded me why I decided to work in this field and my passion to tell a story, especially those that are overlooked and undervalued.

As I write my recap, I realize this was actually my first time looking back on such a life-changing year. I grew not only as a student and media professional but also as a person finding my purpose in this thing we call life.

What started as my dream became my reality, and it is still hard for me to believe. If anyone ever says a dream is unrealistic, that’s a lie. Bump “the sky is the limit.” The world is in my hands, and I definitely have been living on top of it for the past year.

The post Rhoden Fellowship moves Norfolk State student a step closer to her dream career appeared first on Andscape.