
Allowing herself to find the right path, Spelman alumna Najja Parker introduces her audience to African-American culture through journalism.
Parker came to Spelman College in 2008 from Memphis looking to change her surroundings and live around African-American success.
“I just wanted to get out of Tennessee completely, so Atlanta was a faster pace for me and I wanted to be around black success because they consider this city to be a Black Mecca,” she said.
Upon arriving to Spelman College, Parker went through different majors.
“When you are a teenager and in your 20s, a lot of times, you're still trying to figure things out. I just kind of allowed myself to try different things, until I learned ... something that was a good fit for me,” Parker said.
In the beginning, she was an education major; however, during her freshman year, the college discontinued the education major. Having had a passion for writing and storytelling, she decided to try English.
With her English major, Parker said that she did not feel completely satisfied with her work, which is how she became a double major in English and Theater & Performance.
“I wanted to feel more creative and do something that was a bit more hands-on so one of my friends ... was like, ‘You should come over to the theater. We're working on this play and just kind of see what you think.’ I loved it. I fell in love with everything about it,” Parker recalled.
It was her love for storytelling that peeked her interest in journalism. “Anything that I’ve done has involved a lot of storytelling. I kind of felt like journalism was like storytelling,” Parker stated. “That’s kind of what inspired me to get into it.”
Parker did not feel fully prepared to enter the work force after graduating from Spelman College, so she decided to go to Columbia College Chicago for graduate school.
“At that point, I only had one internship within the journalism field back at home at a Memphis news station and I didn't feel prepared,” Parker stated. “I figured let me go learn a little bit more so I could feel more prepared by the time I do try to apply for jobs.”

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