With his help, I prepared for my first assignment, covering men’s basketball games at Alabama State. “In the sports industry you’re going to have to cover things that you don’t want to, but it will help you out in the long run,” he said.Īlabama State University student Jaicee Christian (left) and Howard University student Monet Heath (right) attend the 2023 NFL draft in Kansas City, Missouri. I initially shook it off, but he was right - I didn’t know anything about sports such as soccer, tennis, volleyball or baseball. He asked me a question I’ll remember for the rest of my life: “How do you expect to be a sports reporter when you don’t know about other sports besides football and basketball?” Eric Knox, a professor in Alabama State’s radio and television studies program, gave students newscast roles for an assignment, and I chose to be a sports reporter. Intro to Broadcasting was the first class I took after declaring my major. I took advantage of valuable opportunities, including internships at ASU’s athletics department, BET and Andscape that helped me determine the career I wanted to pursue: communications in the sports industry.

The bonds and mentors I made at ASU are irreplaceable. At that time no one could tell me anything: I was a young Black man in college, and it meant so much to me and my family. I wasn’t alone at ASU, where I knew several other students that had attended my high school. (Coincidentally, I also applied to ASU’s rival, Alabama A&M University, but by the time that school sent an acceptance letter I had already moved into my freshman dorm at ASU.) Related Story MEAC/SWAC Challenge: First big game for Alabama State first-time coach Eddie Robinson Jr. I ultimately selected Alabama State because it was close to home and one of the best options for my education. I also received a Foundation Scholarship, which helped cover the cost of some of my housing and most of my books.

My first college acceptance letter was from ASU. He also let me know he would be there every step of the way to ensure I graduated from college. Parker High School in Birmingham, Alabama, Hudson urged all the seniors to apply. After ASU recruiter Sunkeissa Cantrell visited my class at A.H. My high school principal, Darrell Hudson, was a member of the board of trustees at Alabama State University. I wanted to get out of the house and become my own person, but I didn’t want my family to be too far away. Some of those universities were private, and those scholarships didn’t cover much. During my senior year of high school, I remember going to college fairs and getting scholarship opportunities from various universities.

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