The National Association of Black Journalists announced Friday that 22-year-old LaCrai Mitchell has been selected as its 2016 Student Journalist of the Year.
“LaCrai Mitchell is someone whose résumé speaks for itself,” NABJ President Sarah Glover said. “She has worked hard to gain internships and fellowships that have prepared her for the professional world. She serves as a great example of how a student journalist can succeed when they take advantage of opportunities.”
Mitchell earned her bachelor’s degree from Florida A&M University in December 2015 and immediately began working as a news associate at CBS News, where she was an intern during college. She also held an internship at CNN International.
While a student at FAMU, Mitchell worked as the online content producer for FAMU TV-20’s News at Five newscast, where she managed and created content for the newscast’s web page and managed the show’s YouTube, Twitter and Instagram accounts. A homecoming special she produced as a sophomore won a Student Emmy Award.
Most definitely a “preditor”—that is, a producer and editor who does it all—Mitchell also served as the editor-in-chief of the university's Journey Magazine, where she edited stories, created multimedia content, video-edited web stories, directed photo shoots and scouted models.
Named one of The Root’s 2016 Young Futurists, Mitchell says that she was drawn to journalism after seeing a CNN documentary special on the Atlanta child murders.
Her words of wisdom: “Don’t ever let the fear of not accomplishing your dreams stop you from pursuing them.”