Jennifer Wiggins is my cousin. She is extremely compassionate and has always been here to support me. She would even come into town every year to come to registration with me. She graduated from the HBCU Florida A&M University in ‘94 with a B.S in Broadcast Journalism. In Chicago, she earned her early experience by interning at television stations ABC7 and WLS-TV and she is currently the Assistant News Director at KVUE-TV.

When asked about the biggest obstacle in her position she says that,“Being an African American woman is hard in this industry.  You have to be twice as good as the person that you are replacing. There is no room for error and it is a very competitive industry.”

Some of the pros that Jennifer lists for working in journalism are:

• Always knowing firsthand about the world around me.
• Constantly learning news things, cultures, the arts etc.  Working in News you have to be well verse with some of everything.  Including Sports.
• The money is good.
• You get to meet a lot of cool people, celebrities and athletes.

Some cons are:

• It can be very stressful at times
• There are long hours.

If you are interested in pursuing a career in journalism, she left the following advice, “You must have a very thick skin.  You have to not take things personally. Be very quick on your feet, be well rounded and well read. Be open-minded, learn other cultures besides your own. Do not put yourself in a box.  Be able to dabble or have knowledge of money/financial issues, current events, politics, education, and top city government issues etc.”