¾«¶«´«Ã½

Welcome to Season 2 of Meadows on the Mic, the official podcast of the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ Meadows School of the Arts. I'm your host Andy Draper, part of the Meadows marketing team and podcaster extraordinaire. On this show, I'll be bringing you in depth interviews with Meadows faculty, students, and alumni, covering everything for performances, exhibitions, exciting research, and the overall Meadows experience. Pony up for another great season of Meadows on the mic. On this episode, we interviewed junior journalism major Taylor Goode. Goode discusses her experience as an anchor and reporter for ¾«¶«´«Ã½TV, her continuing internship with The New York Times, and her role as President of the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ chapter of the Association of Black Journalists. Let's get to know Taylor. Good Taylor. Thank you so much for coming on to the show. Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be on. Before we get into our main questions, tell us how the semester is going so far. This semester has been very fruitful. Actually. I'm noticing now as I'm entering into my junior year and you know, being in like a lot of the executive roles, I'm like getting more opportunities to go out into the field in journalism, to meet new people, to be in a new locations. I know the previous semesters I was kind of like behind the scenes just with like audio production and all of that. So it's been really exciting. I will say the first two weeks of school were a little rough, were a little rough only because I guess that transition from summertime, you're resting, you're not really doing anything to now like Taylor, I need you here, Taylor, I need you there. And it, it was an adjustment. And then also with everything that's been going on in the world, that's also been just kind of like a stressor at that time. But now I'm really in like the groove of things. It's been really exciting. Just, you know, spending time with friends, getting things done, you know, making sure that I'm excelling in my assignment. So it's been fun. It's been fun and it's been fruitful. Right. The beginning of the semester is always a little hectic and that that includes us, the staff and faculty as well. So I'm glad things are kind of calm down now. It's the same the same for us. So I want to get into our first question, which is how did you first get interested in journalism and decide to pursue it academically? What's so funny is so I grew up very introverted, Very, very, very, very introverted. But anytime I would get on stage or when I would perform like a poem or like a prose, I something would snap and I would have the surge of, of confidence. So I think those moments there really showed like I'm, I was going to be on on stage whether I liked it or not. Even though I was, I didn't like talking to people outside of being on stage. When I was on stage, I would have like this surge of just of a boldness. So that was #1 And so I thought about just being like, OK, like a motivational speaker esque kind of kind of person. But also at that time, I was kind of, I was very insecure about being on camera. So I was like, I'm not going to be a news anchor. I am not going to be doing any of that because I don't like being on camera. But I don't know, anytime I would speak, some people would be like, hey, even my family members and little cousins would be like, wow, you sound like a news anchor. And I'm like, really, But I don't know if I want to be on on camera, but I think over time as I kind of grew into really one loving yourself because when you're on camera in front of like thousands of people, it can be a little bit intimidating. So growing in that confidence, especially as, you know, as a Christian woman as well, learning who I am in Christ and growing in that boldness as well, really helped me to see journalism as an opportunity to encourage people. Because sometimes we look at the news, it's a lot of the times it's just a lot of negativity, a lot of deaths and murders and scandals, and then one little segment about like something cute like a puppy dog or something like that. And so when I'm on stage, just going back to when I was younger, I saw it as an opportunity to really bless other people. And so journalism was like a perfect mix of that, of being on camera and having that opportunity to be that smiling face that they see every morning. I also love to write. So communication, reading, writing also goes along with that. And so I love writing stories. And so writing news reports about what's been going on, going out into the communities to, you know, interview people and making sure that their stories are highlighted also really just sparked that fire within me to really pursue this, this career path. So initially it wasn't something I wanted to do. I wanted to be behind the scenes, but the Lord was like, no, you're going to be on camera. People have to see, they got to see you. And so I've been enjoying it ever since. I I love it. That's really great. It, it seems like it's, it's a good combination of several areas of interest all kind of coming together to into one. Absolutely. And So what drew you to the program at ¾«¶«´«Ã½ Meadows? Yes. So what drew me to the program was Ryan Cole over like the Meadows, like Meadows, like admission Ryan Cole. So initially I wanted to go to UT not because I really wanted to go to UT, but because everyone in my class, my classes were going there. So I was like, if everybody's going there, then they might as well. But UT just wasn't for me. And I didn't really like their journalism program there. U of H was also a university. I was, I was looking at, especially because I'm from Houston. So I was like, maybe U of H, but she's at that time I was like, no, she's not the right fit. And so later on, when I was in Dallas to visit my grandparents, my mom was like, hey, let's check out ¾«¶«´«Ã½. And so I was like, OK, normally we would drive past it, but I wouldn't really think anything of it. So I was like, OK, let's try it out. And so I went on a tour with Ryan Cole and he showed me the Umphrey Lee Division of Journalism and Oh my goodness, you know, like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. All his kids and. They see all that stuff they're like. Oh my gosh. That was me. That was me just looking at the equipment, the thing, all those little television screens and then like the stock markets that are right above it, seeing all the different anchor desks from sports to entertainment and just regular news that they had in their their bigger studio. I was in love and I think Mr. Cole and hopefully, you know, for those who are listening, hopefully you guys get Ryan Cole because he's just amazing. He really gave me the opportunity to try some things out. Like he let me sit at the anchor desk and I felt like I was at home and my mom took a picture of me. And it's so funny because I took some like shots for like my LinkedIn and all of that, like like at the anchor desk. And I was looking at the photo now and my old photo from when I was on tour, I was just like, wow, here's me three years later, really pursuing my passion. So that's what drew me to ¾«¶«´«Ã½, besides how beautiful the campus is and how sweet everyone is. But I think that tour really just sparked that, just that passion. I was like, I was, I was at home. And I think Mr. Cole, the tour guide, really foster that love, too. The way that he talked about the program, his excitement, the jokes, him allowing me and all the other students to try out all the different things, that that experience was amazing. So that's what drew me to to Meadows. We definitely encourage people to come onto campus and to, to walk, walk to campus, walk the the buildings and see the facilities. And like you were describing that very real world feel and kind of top of the line, like it feels like you're, you're there, like you're doing the career that you want to be. So we always want to encourage those visits. Absolutely. So I want to get into what you're doing. You, you're a part of a lot of things. And I want us to start with ¾«¶«´«Ã½TV. Tell us what that is and your role with that. Yeah. So SMETV is our is the university's broadcast. And I want to give out a quick disclaimer. ¾«¶«´«Ã½TV is not just kind of like, you know, in high school when it's just like a little simple thing that you do. It's like, oh, simple thing the school has no ¾«¶«´«Ã½TV is acclaimed, a very acclaimed broadcast organization. One of my Co workers won an award for doing a story on Chris Young, the former prisoner who I believe either was on death row or or something along those lines. I know Kim Kardashian advocated for his release and one of my Co workers did a story on him because he attends ¾«¶«´«Ã½ and his story ended up getting an award. I forgot what the award was called, but this ¾«¶«´«Ã½TV, you know, we're doing real, real stuff, meeting real people, going out into, for example, the ICE detention facility. When the shooting happened, you know, we were on the field interviewing officers and other individuals who were there who witnessed the shooting where, you know, speaking with President Hartzell. I did an interview with him and it was exciting getting to know him and his plans for ¾«¶«´«Ã½ and his vision 5 to 10 years from now. So we're out there. So ¾«¶«´«Ã½TV, you know, we make sure that what we give an unbiased perspective on what's going on, giving out factual information and we're making sure that we don't sugarcoat anything like even the Charlie Kirk situation, we go out there, we went to the Turning Point USA vigil and we reported on that. So ¾«¶«´«Ã½TV is something that is a company that or a student broadcast organization that I really love, especially as an associate producer there, you know, looking at stories, looking over scripts, saying like, hey, let's fix this up. Let's let's tweak this just a little bit. So that's what I do, and that's kind of what ¾«¶«´«Ã½TV is. So tell us about your specific roles within ¾«¶«´«Ã½TV. That sounds like a really great organization and get some real hands on real world experience for journalism. But what do you do there specifically? Yes. So what I do there is I anchor for ¾«¶«´«Ã½TV. So I'm the one who's, you know, as soon as you turn. I was about to say turn the television on. We're not on television just yet, but as soon as you go on Instagram or go on Vimeo or YouTube X, you'll see me along with a Co anchor. And so that's kind of like what I do, but I'm also, I'm also very open to other positions as well. Sometimes I'm doing the weather. Of course I'm doing the weather. So what I do is I go ahead. You know, I can't sometimes how to improvise as well. Sometimes when you do the weather, it's very improvised like script. So I do that. But most importantly, I'm a reporter, so I'm out on the field like I was saying earlier. So I'm the one that's interviewing people, getting out like B roll, which is just like different like sequences, different shots of whatever I'm shooting. And so I turn them all into like, really like seamless packages that I give to my senior executive producer. So you said you could say she's my boss. So I give it to my boss. And so we kind of just work together to, you know, look over kind of like all the things that I, you know, I did when I was on the field. And then also because I've the associate producer also have the opportunity to direct to kind of help out like the younger journalists or the newcomers there, help them, you know, sharpen their skills, you know, tweak some things with their scripts. I also help them with shooting, how to shoot, how to get good B roll, how to get like the right lighting and especially like public speaking as well. How to make sure like they're how they're articulating whatever's going on is communicated in a way that's engaging to the viewers, but also, you know, you're getting the information out and it's factual. So that's kind of what I do. So I'm on the field, but I'm also on the technical side as well. So I'm doing it all. That's all. In summary, I'm I'm doing it all. That's really exciting that you're getting to do hands on work and that kind of training, but that you're also doing some leadership things and helping to mentor younger students as well. Yep. So the next thing I wanted to ask about is you got a very exciting internship at The New York Times this summer. And so tell us how that opportunity came about, and then what was it like being there? Oh my goodness. It's so funny. So Professor Cheshire, she's over the journalism department. She sent me and another student an e-mail last semester of the application, and she was like, hey, like, you know, me and the professors, we were thinking about you guys and you think you all would be perfect for the New York Times Mentorship Corps. So I was like, Oh my gosh, cuz I love the New York Times. And so I was like, what an amazing opportunity. So I applied over the summer and as soon as it was like approaching August, I was kind of worried. I was like, oh, man, like I haven't gotten anything back just yet. Like, did I not, you know, get in? And so it was only until maybe like, mid August, I received an e-mail from one of the New York Times journalists. And she was like, hey, Taylor, you know, we looked at your application and we're very interested in getting to know you more. Let's set up an interview. And what's so funny is that even though The New York Times is such a an acclaimed organization, the journalists are, they're just so sweet. When I had that interview, she didn't make me feel uncomfortable and it wasn't all that serious. She was laughing kind of like cracking jokes just a little bit. And she kind of gave me or showed me the ropes too, just like what they do and, and being a writer and writing, you know, investigative reporting or like culture beats. So like really fun, impactful stuff. So that's how I got the opportunity and also the chance to really get to know them more. So I'm glad I I got accepted so. And this this is a a good time that I wanted to mention the office of alumni and career success, which focuses on things like internships and connecting undergraduates with alumni. They have several paid in internships that they develop every every semester. I think this might be a little bit separate from that, but that's one of the focuses of the of the middle school is kind of this career development, job placement where we're getting internship opportunities that for real world experience that can transfer, that you can put on your resume and TV and, you know, help transfer into real world jobs. So that's something that Meadows in general is very focused on. So tell us a little bit more about the internship itself. What what did you get to do while you were there? Were you in New York specifically or was it remote? Tell us. Yes. So the internship is still going on and it lasts for about a year. So so far, I haven't gone to New York just yet. It's only for the seniors. So I have a couple more semesters until I'm able to actually fly to New York. But so far what I'm doing is I'm meeting with a mentor. So I have a mentor named Emmanuel. And so I meet him once a month and we just kind of go over just kind of like my resume, we go over what I've been doing these past couple of weeks. So in about 2-2 weeks or so, two or three weeks or so, I'm going to meet with him again and just go over kind of the stories I've done, the scripts, producing, all of that. And so we meet with our mentors, like I said before, once a month, but we also have our general body meetings. So it's all of us from all across the United States. We all meet together and we learn from the, from the top, like, like the editor in chief, we get to know them and, and their story and, and they give us, you know, their advice on, on being a, or excelling in the field of journalism, especially because it's been changing so much with AI and social media, you know, these journalists, but not journalists. So influencers being journalists as well. And we've been having conversations about that, how to adjust, how to adapt to that, because some of the editors and, and chiefs are older. And so they were telling us like it's a huge shift for them and they were being very honest and transparent about that. And so meeting with them often and, and getting to know what they do. That's kind of like what we've been doing so far. Also, we've gotten the opportunity or no, we will have the opportunity next Sunday to have another meeting about just kind of like job opportunities as well. So I like how you brought up the alumni surge and internships and opportunities too. So they're going to share with us about that. And so it's a great plug and it's a great way for us to, you know, you know, dip our our toes in the water, you know, establish those connections so that when we do go to New York, we're able to see them face to face and be like, hey, I'm part of the mentorship program and it'll open a lot of doors for you as well. So that's what we've been doing so far. That's really exciting and I'm going to have to have you back on the show in in a semester or two when you get to go out there that that'll be really exciting to see, you know, catch up after a couple of semesters. Oh, and Speaking of that, so this isn't necessarily related to the New York Times mentorship court, but for those who are in journalism are fashion media. So the unfairly division of journalism, they provide students opportunities to go to New York every semester. And so next semester a couple of students will have the opportunity to go and I apply for that. It's a benchmark trip. So maybe next semester if I do get accepted, I'll reach out to you and I'll tell you my my winter in in New York, so. Wow, Yeah, that'd be, that'd be really exciting. Yeah, to have a follow up, I wanted to pivot and talk about the association of Black Journalists, which you're involved in. Can you tell us about what that organization is and kind of what are their their their goals and why they exist? Yes, absolutely. So ¾«¶«´«Ã½ Association of Black Journalists is 1 branch of the National Association of Black Journalists. So it was started, I believe, in the 70s, seventies or 80s. No, just an opportunity for black journalists to come together to support one another, to encourage one another, especially during that time when there was a lot of racial tensions going on during those days. I'm thinking about like the Rodney King incidents and all of that. And so it's just an opportunity for us to just kind of reignite that fire, but also get like mentorships and mentorship from other acclaimed, not just journalists, but also TV producers, from celebrities and, and all of that. We had Tamar Braxton show up to one of the conferences, the National Association of Black Journalists conferences, to share about just things that have been going on in the world. And so ¾«¶«´«Ã½ Association of Black Journalists is just a branch of that. And So what I do is I want to make sure that when I I'm hosting these meetings and when I'm inviting all students and not just black students, allies are welcomed as well. We're not like, oh, you can't come because you're not, you're not black. You could, anybody can come as well, but I want to make sure too that when they're attending the meetings that they're able to, there's something that they can glean from. So for example, these past couple of weeks I've posted meetings on identifying fake news. I mean, that's huge, especially with what's been going on. I know there's been some some conspiracy theories surrounding like Charlie Kirk, for example, or from the Michigan shootings and all of that and people coming up with AI generated images to hurt other people. And so setting up seminars, that's what I've been doing along with my exec team. Last year when I served as as interim president or vice president, I invited ACEO to our meetings to learn about, you know, what to do after college and how to find a job and excelling post graduation. And so majority of the ABJ associated by journalists meetings primarily consists of just teaching mentoring students. So kind of like the New York Times mentorship, mentoring students, getting them ready for the real world, learning how to network. So I've, I've posted that as well, learning how to network, learning how to perfect your resume and things like that. So it's very career based. Right. And again, that sounds like another organization that journalists, journalism majors would be good to look into. And again, at any school, you're right, you want to use the resources that are there, learn as much as you can. So is there, what is your role as president of this and how long have you been in that role? So I've been president for a couple weeks now, but like I said before, I served as interim for an entire semester. And So what I do is I work alongside our faculty advisor, Professor Evans, Valerie Evans. She's worked for WFAA and other really accomplished broadcasts. And so we work together to one, making sure that, you know, the funds are in order as well. We're not funded by the school as of yet. We're working on that to get there to where, you know, we don't have to, we don't worry about it, but we don't have to really think about it. Think about that. But yes, I work with her in terms of funding. I'm also over the social media as well. So anytime I would talk to someone like our social media managers, I kind of look at kind of their ideas and their Flyers and their videos and I just, they kind of, they go through me. And so I'm able to look at it and be like, OK, that looks good. We could send that out. But also as a present as president, I want to make sure that it's not all about me. That was one thing I told myself when I had to serve as interim president, that it is not about me. This is not a one woman show. I don't want to make sure that everybody's involved. So everyone has a voice in our organization. You know, they'll share like, hey, I like this or like, no, I don't like this or this idea isn't all that good. Let's do something else. And so I want to make sure that that's what that whenever we're together, I'm getting a whole bunch of ideas. Now I'm not just like, oh, this is about me because I'm president because just because you're a, anybody's a president, that doesn't mean that that person's influential or impactful. And so I want to make sure that I'm impacting the exact team and the general body team in a way to where they feel comfortable and they're able to share their critiques and they're able to share their wisdom and their advice. So that's kind of like things that I do. And also I reached out to like execs as well. I've reached out to a young lady who started a a travel agency and so we're trying to figure out how to invite her to ¾«¶«´«Ã½ as well. So I also do kind of like the outreach as well to different CE OS and people that I kind of like rubbed elbows with during the conferences. Right. It's really incredible how much you have your hands full in general. Like with ¾«¶«´«Ã½TV, this internship with the New York Times and being president of of the Association of Black Journalists. How do you, how do you do it? How do you keep all these things balanced? Oh my goodness, by the grace of God, by the grace of God, that's number one. But also, I'm very, very, very, very intentional about having my alone time. Very intentional about that. Thankfully, my schedule is light enough to where I'm able to set off time. So maybe like 2 hours, 2 hours to just be by myself, to pray, to be with the Lord, to listen to music, to take a nap. Because I realize that because I'm in so many organizations and you sharing about that too, I'm like, oh man, I am in a lot. You know, I have to make sure that I'm able to, you know, do my best in everything that I do, which comes from me having that alone time. So I'm very intentional about that. So if someone's like, hey, Taylor, like for example, even with ¾«¶«´«Ã½TV, if they're texting me late at night, I'm not going to answer. I'm either not going to answer or if it's too early in the morning, I'm going to be like, wait a minute, let me gather myself, let me get myself ready for the day. Let me have my alone time with the Lord. Let me eat some breakfast and then I'll respond to your messages. So I, I want to make sure that all the things that I'm doing are consuming me. And so those are the things that I do. I'm intentional about my rest time. Even after my classes, I take a walk on the lawn. Like I said before, SME was gorgeous. We have bunnies, we have bunnies, we have squirrels every now and then. We have a raccoon every now and then, we have raccoons around. And so I'll just walk on campus and, and just enjoy just kind of just the beauty of the day. And so those are the things that I do to make sure that I'm not on E every single day. Because if you don't have that intentional time to fill your cup, then you know what? You're going to build that bitterness and that resentment whenever you're in these jobs because you don't have that time to be by yourself. So those are the things that I do, yeah. My final question is what are your post graduation plans or what are your kind of longer term plans when you finish at Meadows? Yes, absolutely. So my big dream plans are, well, really is to be an anchor for Good Morning America. I love Good Morning America only because a lot of the stories that they produce are a lot more positive than some of the other platforms. I also love Robin Roberts. She's amazing. She's always been just like one of my favorite anchors. Another one is ABC News, like World News Tonight with David Muir. I say like his perfectly combed hair. I would love to be an anchor on like those broadcasts. So those are like my big, big goals. But post graduation, I plan to apply for a position for KHOU or like ABC 13 in Houston because it's my it's my home city. And I think it's a great opportunity to just kind of like, you know, just dip my toes in the water. I'm still close to home. So but I'm also far enough to where like I'm growing and who I am in the career world and I'm able to just kind of see or just kind of see like how, you know, these journalists go about reporting these stories and doing it in an efficient way. And so I'm starting off just kind of like small. If I do get an opportunity to work for Good Morning America post grad, that would be wonderful. That'll be amazing. But ABC 13 is kind of just like my goal. And if not, any opportunity is a blessing. So if it's in a super small market in Tennessee or Arkansas or even in Oklahoma, then that's fine by me because I'm growing and it's a great way to build up your resume. So those are my goals post grad. Taylor, you've been an absolutely wonderful guest. Thank you so much for coming on to the show. Thank you so much for having me. I had so much fun and I hope as you all are listening to this podcast, you guys can, you know, check out the journalism program. I've been enjoying it. The program here is incredible. And the professors here, they want to see you win. That's one thing I can say. They want to see you win. So thank you for having me. Thanks for tuning into another episode of Meadows on the mic, and a big thanks to Taylor for coming on to the show. Be sure to see her reporting on ¾«¶«´«Ã½TV, and we'll catch up with her New York Times internship in a few semesters. For more information on the journalism program at ¾«¶«´«Ã½ Meadows, visit smu.edu/meadows. Meadows on the Mic is brought to you by the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ Meadows Marketing Department and is available on all major podcast platforms. For questions and comments, e-mail us at Meadows on the mic@smu.edu and follow us on social media at ¾«¶«´«Ã½ Meadows on all major platforms. We'll see you next time.