FAMU School of Journalism & Graphic Communication

✨ | Two of our notable SJGC alumni, Melissa Mitchell ’04 (Public Relations) and Avery Jacobs WALB ‘19 (Broadcast Journalism) are making their mark on the world’s biggest stage. ⚽️🐍

Melissa’s mural, “Trefoil Trail,” is being called a landmark of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, brought to life with more than 200 Girl Scouts and located 2.8 miles from the Atlanta stadium. Avery is in Seattle serving as Communications Director for the FIFA World Cup 2026 games, bringing his experience with the LA Rams, Sacramento Kings, and ESPN to the world’s largest sporting event. Two Rattlers. One global moment.

To read more about Melissa and Avery’s FIFA World Cup contributions, visit the link below! 🏆
🔗https://bit.ly/sjgc-fifa-world-cup

Hey, incoming Rattlers! 🐍

Class of 2030 and transfers, we loved meeting each of you and your families! We enjoyed showing you around the Convergence, the school, and all the J-School amenities, and we hope the glimpse you got of SJGC inspires you to reach your highest potential this fall. Welcome to the FAMULY. 🧡

Share this if you have an incoming Rattler! 🔁👀

🔁| Congratulations to SJGC seniors Kaylin Jean-Louis and Naji Rutherford, who were both recognized at the 2025 Florida News Awards in the general assignment reporting category for college television! 🧡🐍

Jean-Louis took home the win, while Rutherford earned finalist honors. Being named a finalist out of more than 700 entries submitted by broadcast journalists across the state is a real accomplishment, and both students represented SJGC at the highest level. Both packages were produced for FAMU-TV 20/SJGCMedia.com and scored by professional journalists from across the country.

Jean-Louis's winning package explored how new DEI policies were affecting students at Florida State University. Rutherford's work captured the community impact of a robbery at a local Salvation Army. Both students credited Professors William Jiles and Kenneth Jones for shaping them into the journalists they are today. 🌟

Read more about their recognition by visiting the link below. 👇🏾
🔗https://bit.ly/KaylinNajiNewsAwards

Another W for the record books! 🐍🧡💚

Journey Magazine's Just Politicin' Issue has been named an Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Region 3 Finalist for Photo Illustration.

Our students are out here setting the standard and proving that FAMU SJGC storytelling hits different at every level. Congratulations to the team behind this recognition! 🙌🏾

🔁| Dr. Hsuan Huang is putting FAMU SJGC on the map, one research milestone at a time. 🐍

This spring, the Public Relations professor presented at the 2026 Eastern Educational Research Association Conference, exploring how HBCU students can use predictive AI tools without losing the critical thinking that sets them apart.

On top of that, Dr. Huang earned her second FAMU Faculty Research Award Program (FRAP) grant, partnering with Altamese Osborne, M.Ed., to connect university research with K-12 classroom practice through the FAMU² Research-Practice Partnership Hub.

Innovative. Impactful. Rattler-built. 💚🧡

To learn more about Professor Huang’s story, visit the link below!
🔗 https://bit.ly/HuangResearchAward

🐍 | Congratulations to Justin Jordan, selected for the inaugural Inclusive Excellence in Journalism (IEJ) Fellowship at ASU’s
Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication 🎉!

Only six undergraduates from across the country were chosen for this historic first cohort, and Justin is representing FAMU and SJGC in a major way.

You may know him as Editor-in-Chief of The FAMUan or host of Word Around Campus, and now he's taking his talents to one of the most competitive investigative journalism programs in the nation. 🐍🧡💚

Fellows dive into investigative reporting, data journalism, multimedia storytelling, and AI in journalism, earn a Cronkite School certificate, and attend the IRE conference in Washington, D.C., all fully covered by the Scripps Howard Foundation. 💡

We see you, Justin. You were built for this! 👏🏾

It's a good Tuesday to talk about the power of a photograph. 📸🧡

We're so grateful for the incredible photojournalism workshop hosted by The FAMUan, featuring 2005 Broadcast Journalism alumna Natrice Miller! From newsroom photography and visual storytelling to documenting and preserving the Black experience in America, Natrice brought her award-winning expertise right back home to SJGC. 🐍💚

She also shared the journey that took her from these very halls to a major newsroom, and we are so here for it. Rattlers inspire Rattlers. 🧡

looks like this. 🐍🧡

We had the honor of welcoming Emmy Award-winning journalist Georgia Fort to SJGC, and our scholars left the room inspired.

She shared her story, her journey, and the resilience it took to get to the top of her craft. Proof that Rattlers and those who pour into them are built different.

Thank you, Mrs. Fort, for taking the time to speak with our future storytellers. Your words will carry them further than you know. 💚

🔁| Congratulations to SJGC junior Ziya Saffor, because she is taking up space in the NBA and bringing Rattlers with her! 🧡🐍

This graphic design scholar spent the spring semester interning with the NBA's creative services team at the 2026 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles, gaining hands-on exposure to how creative concepts come to life across platforms during one of the league's biggest stages.

And this wasn't her first time in the league's orbit. Selected as a 2025 NBA HBCU Fellow, Ziya spent last summer as a graphic design intern with the Portland Trail Blazers, designing marketing and promotional graphics for digital and print campaigns. She later returned to Portland to support the Trail Blazers' HBCU to the Pros program, helping introduce high school students to HBCU opportunities and careers in sports.

As someone who documents her journey so others can see what's possible, Ziya is proving that representation isn't just important, it's necessary. Every room she enters, she opens the door a little wider for the next Rattler behind her. 🌟

Read more about Ziya Saffor and her incredible story by visiting the link below.
🔗https://bit.ly/ZiyaSafforNBAIntern

Happy ! 🎓

At FAMU’s School of Journalism and Graphic Communication, we believe higher education is more than a degree. It’s the foundation for a life of purpose, impact, and possibility. We’re proud to prepare the next generation of journalists, designers, broadcasters, and communicators to lead in an ever-changing media world. 🐍🧡💚

Every Rattler who comes through SJGC leaves ready to tell stories that matter. Your journey is just getting started.

“Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to open doors of opportunity.” — Booker T. Washington