Monique A. Mitchell is from Miami, Fla., and currently resides in Atlanta, Ga. This third- generation Rattler majored in broadcast journalism.
Monique was known on campus for her campus involvement, student leadership, and academic success. She was an active member in the Student Government Association (secretary of state), Presidential Ambassadors (president) and the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). As a member of NABJ, she was selected to be a part of NABJ Student Projects at the national convention in 2009 and a student representative for General Motors at the Blogalicious Media Conference in 2010.
As a budding freshman, she dove head first into student media. She was an editor for The Famuan, and Journey Magazine, news reporter for WANM 90.5, and production assistant and later anchor for FAMU TV-20. Her student documentary, “Skin Deep: Black Women Venturing Out,” about interracial dating aired at the 2011 Tallahassee Film Festival. When she graduated in the fall of 2010, she was at the top of her class with a 3.6 grade point average. She is also a Spring 2009 initiate of the Beta Alpha Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
In 2011, like many aspiring journalists, she moved to New York City and was the first student from FAMU to be chosen for the prestigious NBC East Coast Page Program. The competitive program is a pipeline for talented young professionals interested in news and entertainment network television. She was selected for several assignments and worked in conjunction with various shows/networks like: Oxygen Press and Publicity, NBC News Marketing, “30 Rock Live,” “TODAY,” “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” and “Saturday Night Live” to name a few.
She moved back to Atlanta in 2012 and shortly after began working at CNN. A few months passed and she was presented with an opportunity of a lifetime within the Turner family. She accepted a position with Cartoon Network offshoots Adult Swim and Boomerang as a communications assistant. A year later, she stepped into her current role as a junior publicist. She is responsible for managing viewer relations, new programming, press highlights, and social media.
Aside from being a public relations professional, she is the co-creator of a women’s lifestyle blog, “Single Black Female Project” and produces a bi-weekly podcast, “One Mo Minute.” Monique Mitchell is on the path to becoming a media powerhouse. She credits her success to awesome mentors, limitless ambition and God’s favor. She is definitely a rising star to watch!
Join us in a Q&A as we follow Monique Mitchell’s FAMU journey to success:
1.) How important was mentorship to your development as a public relations professional?
Mentorship is a major key to becoming an effective professional. I’ve been blessed to come into contact with some awesome men and women in media. Some have nurtured me officially and unofficially.
When I graduated from college, I never imagined I would be working in public relations. At FAMU, I majored in broadcast journalism. I just knew that I would be a reporter or producer. Broadcast and public relations, though similar, are two different worlds.
As fate would have it and thanks to my introduction to PR and media relations as an NBC East Page, my track changed. One of the biggest lessons I have learned from my mentors is to be a chameleon and answer when opportunity knocks. Be ready for change and nimble enough to learn something new. You never know where your career will take you.
2.) What is the greatest lesson FAMU taught you?
The biggest lesson that FAMU has taught me is to never give up or stop trying.
One of my favorite poems is: “Don’t Quit.” It simply states:
“Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.”
I live by this poem and I can thank FAMU for teaching me how to be resilient, durable and strong.
3) Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Over the next decade, I see myself leading a media group, being an international motivational speaker, and owning my own social/media enterprise.
4) What advice do you have for graduating students who are just getting out into the professional world?
The biggest advice I would give to a budding graduate is to dream BIG! No dream is too big. We live in a time where your smallest desire is attainable, only if you aren’t afraid of hard work. I am so blessed to be working in my field for one of the top global media companies. But, before I finally got a “Yes,” I was told “No.” The moment where doors were closed, I decided to open my own and create my own lane. Be the architect of your dreams and let nothing stop you from building.
5) What is your favorite FAMU memory? Homecoming event?
I have so many FAMU memories. But, I think my favorite time at FAMU is the fall. It’s the time where everyone (staff, faculty and students) are reenergized, football season begins, the weather changes, and the energy on campus is high. The fall shows all the possibilities of the new year and most importantly it’s HOMECOMING!…the best college homecoming in the land!
My favorite homecoming event is the football game. The half-time show with the baddest and incomparable band, The Marching “100”, is the icing on the cake!
