Police Social Media Coordinator Shares Career Advice

 

Campus involvement can be the key!

Communications graduate Brianna Simmons, Class of 2016, gave an excellent and insightful talk on March 21 as part of the program's Media Professionals Speaker Series.

The North Charleston native and Fort Dorchester High School graduate is the social media coordinator for the City of Charleston Police Department.

She encouraged students to make the most of their time on campus to better prepare themselves for life after graduation.

"My campus involvement helped," she said. "I was involved with student media, interned at WSSB (SC State's radio station), I shadowed a public relations department. It's really important while you are here to build up your resume and portfolio. Don't be afraid to reach out and ask."

Brianna spoke about, as a senior, meeting on campus U.S. Rep. James Clyburn, a prominent SC State alumnus, and asking him if she could come work for him. The assertive approach paid off, when a few months later she met with the longtime S.C. 6th District Congressman and went on to work in social media for him for two years.

Tart Talk Inspires Students and Faculty/Staff Alike

 

His final year and a half of college was majorly disrupted for this communications major, but he came out of the COVID crisis even more determined to reach his goals in broadcasting. 

Jalen Tart, Class of 2021, returned to the classroom on Feb. 15 to speak as part of the Communications Program Media Professionals Speaker Series. 

During his time at SC State, Tart was a mainstay of the program's video news program BNN (Bulldog News Now). He encouraged the students to get involved with BNN and to seek out internships at TV and/or radio stations if that is what they want to do after college. 

A native of Columbia and graduate of Westwood High School, Tart today can be seen across the Midlands on WIS-TV where he is a news reporter and multimedia journalist. As an MMJ he wears all the hats: videographer, live shot technician, video editor and on-air reporter. 

"The hardest part of the job is time management," he told students and a mix of faculty and staff. "You have to get your interviews as early as you can. You have to know how to adjust and pivot." 

After his remote (due to the pandemic) SC State graduation ceremony in May 2021, Tart opted to apply to graduate schools to further enhance his broadcast journalism skills. 

At Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. he took full advantage of the many writing, reporting and commentary/analysis opportunities as he could. He completed his graduate journalism studies last spring and by June 2023 he was employed at one of his hometown stations, WIS-TV, an NBC affiliate owned by Gray Television, one of the largest station owners in the country.