Aleaya Bradley

I am a Student Media Lab Manager at Southern Methodist University, where I've been working in my field for a little over 5 years. My background is in journalism and mass communications - I was a former news producer and writer, and through my network and pipeline, I was able to get to where I am now. My main areas of expertise are journalism, research, and mentoring. Day-to-day, I work with students on broadcast and print media, helping them with internship opportunities, job opportunities, and enhancing the skills they need to be successful. What inspired me to get into this field was during my time in undergrad when I was a peer mentor for a professor's class. He allowed me to take full control of the class, and it was in that moment that I knew I loved helping people learn and understand things, and exposing people to different career opportunities. When I got into the newsroom, I would train the new producers, and I kind of melted my love for education and mentoring with my professional skills in journalism and producing, which merged into where I am now. My journey has been unique - I was originally a college dropout who left in the middle of my freshman year. Luckily, I had professors who cared about me and re-motivated me to come back to school to finish my bachelor's. From there, I went on to my master's, then my specialist degree in education, and I received my doctorate before the age of 30. Recently, I was awarded an ACPA Pan Award as part of the 30 Under 40 class, recognized for research and scholarship, which I consider my most notable professional achievement so far.