Journalism students John Monteith (standing) and Brittani Acuff (seated) interview Soledad O’Brien for Newswatch 99
I’ve been working as a broadcast communications specialist here for almost nine years now. In that time I’ve been able to interview a number of interesting people, including guest speakers like former CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien.
Growing up, I watched “Murphy Brown”, a sitcom about a take-no-prisoners female journalist and I fell in love with the idea of being a reporter. I wanted to tell stories and be just like the reporters I loved to watch on nightly newscasts. I still enjoy watching news, but I’m more inclined to documentaries like those Soledad O’Brien began producing such as “Black in America.” It was a treat to learn that I’d likely have a chance to interview her when she came to campus for part of our Black History Month events.
First impressions, she is a very nice person. Friendly, funny, and welcoming. Those are three good words I’d use to describe her. It is always fun to interview recognizable and famous people, but to me, it’s also great to watch how they interact with students. Soledad was open to chatting with the two student reporters who also interviewed her that day. Being the reporter she is, she got them to talk more about themselves and then offered valuable career advice to both of them. I know they were touched by her generosity, and I know that the world will continue to be touched by her giving nature. Although I had my experience of watching my favorite reporters, I wish I’d had the opportunity to meet someone like Soledad when I was in college. I really am continually impressed with all the wonderful opportunities we give our students here at Ole Miss.