Mechelle Hankerson walked into high school not knowing what to expect from a class she signed up for on a whim to fill an open elective. She did not know that this class would spark an interest in her so deep that she would choose it as a career. Walking into high school, Mechelle Hankerson knew nothing about journalism.
Hankerson, a senior majoring in print journalism at Virginia Commonwealth University, is the Executive Editor of the independent student-run newspaper, The Commonwealth Times. She began her career at Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia. After her first year of journalism class, Hankerson was intrigued enough in the field to continue.
“I kept doing it from freshman year of high school until now because I liked the idea of informing people and finding things that most people didn’t know were out there,” Hankerson said. “It’s a cliche, but I am really drawn to the idea of being a ‘voice for the voiceless’ and exercising my right as an American citizen to know what’s going on in my government and public agencies.”
In her experiences as a college journalist, Hankerson has served as a student correspondent for The Washington Post. Chosen as the only student reporter from Virginia to help cover the swing states, for her specifically Virginia, Hankerson was given the opportunity to interview President Obama over a conference call.
“I think for right now, that has been the peak of my journalistic career- lots of journalists wait their whole career to talk to a president and I was able to do it before graduating college,” Hankerson said. “It was also the first election I could vote in and I was up for 27 hours straight, creating content for three different news organizations and it was just awesome to be a part of it and feel like a real, working journalist.”
The stress of that experience hasn’t deterred her from her choice in such a fast-paced field. Balancing the production of the newspaper and her school load however has proved to be a bit of a challenge.
“I love working at the newspaper and I love reporting and writing so I make time for it because I feel unfulfilled if I don’t. I also have a really dedicated and awesome staff working with me, so that makes it easier to run the newspaper at VCU,” Hankerson said. “I will say, though, there have been times I skipped class or homework. Like I said, I love journalism so for me, if I have to choose between class and some sort of journalism activity, I will almost always choose journalism.”
Hankerson feels her dedication to journalism stems from the people who influence her most.
“My professors have always been supportive and have helped me grow. They encourage me in and out of class and provide me with opportunities that will help me,” Hankerson said. “When I pursue certain stories, I also feel inspired to keep working to make sure everyone’s story is heard.
“I recently completed a story about undocumented immigrants who are trying to get to a four-year university and that was a good example of a story where I felt like I had to keep working in the journalism field to make sure people in the public knew the kinds of trials and things that happen outside of their immediate lives.”
As for Hankerson, she has high hopes for her career, despite the speculation of print journalism being a dying field.
“I think journalism is definitely changing, but it will never go away. Journalists have a very specific skill set that can’t be replaced by citizen’s reporting, blogging or computers,” Hankerson said. “That being said, I think the role of a journalist will definitely change as far as what they’re expected to do and how they’re expected to do it.
“Hopefully, after graduation, I’ll be able to have a job as a journalist at a pretty decent paper. I have my eyes set on The Virginian-Pilot, but we’ll see.”
