drew my interest from newspapers to TV news and has changed my life with her advice and guidance. My mom has been the biggest warrior in my journey from day 1 and has sacrificed so much to get me to where I am. My dad has kept me laughing through the highs and lows. There is not enough room to list all of the amazing people who have guided me along in my TV career. Gina Swanson…Mike Hoss… Sally-Ann Roberts (who pushed me to write my book), and my current co-anchor Eric Paulsen. I have been beyond blessed to sit beside some of the greats and pick up so much wisdom and guidance from them. Q: What does it mean to you to be a part of the PowHerful Foundation, empowering young women across the country from low-income families? Soledad O’Brien’s PowHerful Foundation has been very important part of my journey. The foundation paid for me to finish college. After I graduated and got on air at WWL, I became a mentor through the foundation. I have been mentoring a mass communications student at Dillard since her freshmen year. Her name is Tassion and she graduates this May. She actually just snagged a job as a camera operator at WWL. I could not be more proud of her. She is like the little sister I never had. The foundation also holds free, day-long enrichment conferences all around the country to provide young women with educational, professional, and personal development. I travel around the country to emcee those conferences and it is so amazing to be part of Soledad’s mission to empower young women. Q: New Orleans has just elected its first female mayor. Do you see the role of women in leadership positions, especially women of color, in New Orleans changing for the better? I am so excited that
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we have our first female mayor. It is long overdue. I certainly hope that all women are inspired by this historic victory and step up in their own career fields. Women still have a long way to go in the fight for equality: the gender pay gap, parental leave policies, and double standards when it comes to appearance are all major issues. I do believe that things are headed in the right direction. I tell young women do your part: Help other women, fight for equal wages if you know that you are making less than your male counterparts- don’t just accept that they deserve more, and speak up when something is wrong even if it’s something has become normalized in our society. Q: What has been your favorite assignment or interview to date? My favorite interview has been with the co-hosts of the talk show The Real. I love Tamera Mowry from her Sister, Sister days and Adrienne Bailon from the music group 3LW, so it was super exciting to meet them in person. They were really sweet, and we had a very fun interview. Q: Who is one person (not necessarily from New Orleans) you would love to interview? J.K. Rowling! I am a huge Harry Potter fan. Her writing is everything. I have a million questions for her about the series… her life… her writing process. I don’t know her, but I love her.
At a Glance Born: New Orleans, 7th Ward Education: St. Mary’s Dominican High school, NYU, UNO Grad Favorite Book: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Favorite Movie: The Wizard of OZ Favorite TV Show: The Wendy Williams Show Favorite Food: I love sushi!