"One of my rules is not to say I want to be but to say I'm going to be, so from now on say that."
Such self-confidence has guided Billie Jean Shaw to a successful television news career since graduating from Winthrop University in 2013 with a mass communications degree.
The self-proclaimed "country girl from Manning" treated our communications majors to an inspiring presentation on Feb. 20 as part of our Media Professionals Speaker Series.
A main anchor at Columbia's WIS-TV, Shaw told us she knew early in life that she wanted to work in TV news, telling the Manning newspaper in 2014 that as a youngster, she preferred watching WIS-TV news instead of cartoons.
"They had a segment, 'Live with Lucas,' she said back then, "where he would go to places all over the Midlands and interview all types of people. I would look at that and think, 'Hey, I want to be on TV. I want to talk to people like that and tell their stories.'"
College helped equip Shaw with the knowledge, skills and tools to make her dream a reality. She showed us her first "MMJ" report as a Winthrop student. MMJ stands for multimedia journalist, meaning she shot, wrote and edited the package (a reporter story with voice-over tracks, soundbites from people interviewed, and her on-camera standup part).
