NBCU Academy at BMCC Opens Doors for Aspiring Journalists and Media Professionals

Earlier this year, Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) joined 16 other colleges and universities to be part of the NBCU Academy initiative launched by NBCUniversal News Group. This fall, four students received $5,000 NBCU scholarships and had the chance to hone their skills and meet industry professionals in journalism and broadcast media.

The NBCU Academy is part of Comcast NBCU’s pledge to provide tools, resources, and platforms for young, underrepresented voices. The innovative journalism program provides on-campus training and online programming. The Academy also provides an onsite curriculum for hands-on learning with world-class NBCU News Group journalists, and funding for scholarships.

“At BMCC, we prioritize students’ career goals and support their efforts to move toward a profession that showcases their talent and speaks to their heart,” said BMCC President Anthony E. Munroe. “The NBCU Academy enables us to extend that focus to our future journalists and students who aspire to be media, broadcast and news professionals. We are grateful for the generous and validating scholarships our NBCU scholars receive, and the insight they gain by meeting with seasoned industry leaders.”

Building insider relationships gives students a career advantage

Four BMCC students were awarded $5,000 each to take part in BMCC/NBCU in Fall 2021: Writing and Literature major Christopher Edwards, Communication Studies major Romy Levy, and Liberal Arts majors Daniel Metter and Dennis Phillips.

“I was extremely excited to hear about the NBCU scholarship opportunity at BMCC because the main reason I went back to school was to pursue a career in journalism,” says Mr. Edwards. “The NBCU scholarship allowed me to connect with members of BMCC’s faculty who are accomplished journalists. These faculty served as mentors and motivators for me during the Spring 2021 semester.”

Receiving the NCBU scholarship motivated him to take his goals more seriously, he says. “I’m now a published freelance journalist. I really hope any student at BMCC who is interested in journalism joins the journalism club and pursues the NBCU scholarship because it will connect them with the right people and provide them great support to tools to begin their careers.”

Ms. Levy has found the program supportive of her media skills, among other benefits.

“The NBCU workshops are excellent. I attended a workshop on how to use Adobe Photoshop, and learned some interesting applications. I will definitely join more workshops in the future,” she says. “My goal is to become a journalist and I think being part of this experience really helps me to see the different aspects and ways to build a career in the field of journalism.”

BMCC professors and staff provide guidance for NBCU participants

A Lecturer and Writing and Literature Program Coordinator in the BMCC English Department, Syreeta McFadden is also an accomplished journalist who says the BMCC NBCU Academy is a tremendous opportunity for students.

“NBCU’s support for students at the two-year level is the type of investment and encouragement student journalists or aspiring journalism students need,” says Professor McFadden. “Now, more than ever, for students exploring possible careers with purpose, their exposure to working journalists may help them hone their voices, learn and grow in the craft of good reporting and storytelling to tell stories that reflect their communities and beyond.”

A contributor for The Atlantic as well as for NBC’s THINK, an opinion/news analysis vertical for NBC News, Professor McFadden has professional insight on the opportunity that the NBCU Academy provides.

“I think my hope for students and students of color, in particular, is that this kind of investment will motivate them to seek journalism careers and transform newsrooms nationwide to reflect the multitudes of experiences that BMCC students have,” she says.

Sharon D. D. Reid, Director of Internships and Experiential Learning at BMCC, has also worked closely with students in the NBCU Academy.

“Aside from the benefit and financial relief offered by the scholarship, our students are able to hone their skills and build their résumés through contributing to NBCU Academy’s professional newsletter,” she says.

Additionally, Ms. Reid explains, students who take part in the NBCU Academy may be afforded opportunities for job shadowing, priority consideration for internships, mentoring and other forms of experiential learning.

“These direct connections for building ‘insider’ relationships will undoubtedly allow them to be propelled into fast-track career growth,” she says. “Research consistently shows that 80% of jobs are filled by personal connections, such as those made through networking. Thanks to the NBCU Academy, BMCC students who are interested in journalism and journalism-adjacent careers are afforded a chance to develop access to a viable network they might not otherwise have accessed.”