Running head: SELF-ANALYSIS

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Reflective Self-Analysis
Aba Overcomer
COMM 46092
Kent State University
August 15, 2016

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This journey of mine has all been by the grace of God and getting to where I am today.
My name is Aba Overcomer, and I was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone. I came to the
United States in 2002, at the tender age of 11. Sierra Leone is a small country located in West
Africa and is bordered by the republic of Guinea on the north, Liberia on the southeast and the
Atlantic Ocean on the southwest. Sierra Leone has a tropical climate with a diverse environment
ranging from savannah to rainforests. In the western world news, Sierra Leone is known for
having one of the worlds finest diamonds that subsequently led to its civil war,
underdevelopment and most recently the Ebola outbreak. However, Sierra Leone to me is home,
and even though I have spent some of my most crucial years in the United States, Sierra Leone
will always be my home that I sometimes referred to as My Mother because there is no place
like home.
Growing up in Sierra Leone, I wanted to be a medical doctor just like every little child
due to lack of decent medical facilities and medical providers. Becoming a medical doctor was
always a dream of mine until I came to the States. I honestly I do not know what changed my
passion, as I no longer have the desire I once had of becoming a medical doctor. As my time in
high school was coming to an end, I knew that I had to pick a profession to study in college, and
after much thinking, I finally decided on what I wanted to be in life.
The constitution of Sierra Leone guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of the press
to all, but the government of Sierra Leone maintains strong control of media and sometimes
restricts rights of practice as some subjects are seen as taboo by society. Therefore, political
establishment against journalists has used violence. Radio is the most popular and trusted media
in Sierra Leone, and print media is not widely read especially outside of the capital city

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Freetown. Internet access is on the increase and many people do not watch television. Owning a
television in Sierra Leone in the 1990s was a luxury as few families could afford to own a one.
So each time an individual turns his/her television on, everyone in the neighborhood nearby
comes to the owner of the television to watch the news or a movie. Therefore, watching
television in Sierra Leone is important, as it is one of the most useful ways people connect to the
outside world. As a little girl loved I story telling so I looked forward to going to our neighbor
every evening to watch television especially watching the news on Cable News Network (CNN)
and hearing about stories happening around the world.
When I came to the States and my family was able to afford our own television I was
excited and my thirst for storytelling was heightened. Every day I look forward to watching the
news early in the morning before going to school and also before I go to bed. I also was excited
for the fact that I have options to choose different providers of news broadcasters, which I did
not have while I was in Sierra Leone. So I must confess that my favorite television network was
CNN. My journey to becoming a news journalist all began when one day, as I was watching the
news on CNN. As I was watching the news on television, I noticed the program I was watching
was not portraying Africa in the same light as other continents were being portrayed. The images
on the news were upsetting to me, and after watching them over and over again; I realized that
this is a trend with major news outlets. The media tends to concentrate on war-ravaged Africa,
diseases, poverty, and lack of innovation. So my motivation to choose my career as a news
journalist was not a mistake as I have a passion for making a positive contribution to my home
Africa. After graduation at Kent University, my intention is to become a world-traveling
journalist, because I believe my work will assist in educating people about where I come from.
As a journalist, I do not intend to ignore areas in Africa that require improvement and in some

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cases a revolution, but I also want to show that there are innovation, growth encompassing
successful businessmen and women in Africa. I want people to understand that, there is more to
Africa than the poverty stricken and disease prevalent areas being shown in the media. My
ultimate goal is to someday work for a television network based here in the United States.
Therefore, my work in Africa and around the world will assist me to accomplish my ultimate
goal and make me a better journalist in the business.
Throughout my undergrad career, I have taken classes that will equip me for the career
path I have chosen.

Before coming to Kent State, I attended another university called

Wilberforce University. During my time at Wilberforce University, I took several classes that
have helped me to understand my major. These classes are photography I and II, Audio
production techniques, broadcast journalism, magazine article writing and more.
Photography II Continuation of Photography I, emphasizes on darkroom techniques and
more professional use of the camera. Photography I is fundamental to B/W still photography:
camera function, exposure, film processing, and printing. (Wilberforce University Course
Catalog). Broadcast Journalism training is the preparation and delivery of radio and television
newscasts. Emphasis on writing, reporting, audio and aesthetic techniques for the broadcast
media (Wilberforce University Course Catalog).
At Wilberforce, I also had the opportunity to study abroad with a program called
Semester at Sea through the University of Virginia. While there, I took digital storytelling that
fulfilled my knowledge for this journey I have chosen. I believe that this coursework gave me the
push and start I needed to experience as a traveling journalist. Digital storytelling provides
students the opportunity to offer courses on the subject of media studies (University of Virginia,

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2012). As a journalist, this course allows students to go out to different countries they were
traveling at the time in order to find stories, write and shoot videos about the stories and show
the final product to their class.
My time and experience at Wilberforce University and Semester at Sea truly prepared me
for my journey here at Kent State University. At Kent State, I took multimedia technique, which
is similar to Digital Storytelling class. I also took multimedia news writing during my first
semester at Kent State. In the second semester, I took international storytelling. This class
allowed me to travel to South Korea and Japan to develop a documentary style story as well as
multimedia storytelling.
The course Multimedia storytelling is designed to inspire creativity and passion for
multimedia journalism. It has introduce and helped me developed my storytelling and reporting
skills whiles expanding my understanding of the best ways to tell different stories for online
distributions. This course also has a strong emphasis on interviewing and writing skills. Students
taking this course will learn and practice storytelling, reporting, and editing techniques while
working within an ethical journalistic framework. Students work will also incorporate writing,
audio, video and photography and graphics, and will also learn about online content
management, administration, and presentation. All of the assignments for Multimedia
storytelling are posted online (Dr. Gordon Murray, 2015).
Furthermore, in my course work, I got involved with different student media
organizations on campus to help further my knowledge. Some of these organizations were TV2
and Black Squirrel Radio, which were the two primary organizations I was involved in mostly.
At TV2 I was the Monday and Wednesday 5:30 news correspondent. I was also a Co-host for the

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blurb fashion panel. With Black Squirrel Radio I had my own show called, The Aba African
Love Show. During my studies, my show was in the top 10 and 20 during the fall and spring
semesters. As a result of my hard work, I was awarded TV2 most improved news correspondent
in the fall of 2014, and I was also awarded number 13 most listened-to show on black squirrel
radio for the fall and spring semesters 2014-2015.
During my studies, I knew I was a leader, but I did not feel confident in myself to take up
leadership roles. Although I was not confident at the beginning of my studies, somehow young
girls I met looked up to me, and asked me for advice be it relationships, school, family, or life in
general. In my final year at Kent State, I became president of the Kent African Student
Association and Lead Facilitator for Sister Circle. I was nominated by my peers to run for
president for the Kent African Student Association (KASA). At first, I was extremely shy and
ran away from the idea, but with their words of encouragements and self-motivation, I turned in
my application and was voted KASAs 2015-2016 President. Sister Circle is a student group that
is aimed at providing mentorship to women of color student at Kent State.
Although my time at Kent State has been a blessing and extremely rewarding, I have also
experienced setbacks that made me questioned if I have chosen the right field. During my first
spring semester at Kent, I experienced some life-changing moment and as a result, my GPA
suffered. Because of this, I had to change my major from Journalism to Communication Studies
with a concentration in Applied Communication. Even though I was upset, I am thankful for this
change, because students who major in applied communication will have the opportunity to
acquire different skills in three different areas that are communication, graphic design, and
journalism. Acquiring and nursing these skills, will not only enhance my knowledge but will
give me a positive edge over someone with a major whose only focus is news reporting.

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Learning that I had to change my major was devastating because I thought at the time that not
having a journalism degree was the end for me to achieve my goal as a journalist. Looking back
at it now, I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to major in applied communication. My
time at Kent has really boosted up my confidence in the career field I have chosen.
Over the years I have traveled to a total of 20 countries and five continents. I have
accomplished things I never thought possible. I know letting go of my passion for becoming a
medical doctor was not a mistake because I know that I have a very unique and inspirational
story to share with anyone I meet. The world will always need hospitals and so will it need the
media to share stories and bridge gaps and geographies as well.
I believe I have chosen the right field of becoming a news-reporting journalist with a
well-rounded education, experience, and professional skills. I understand that journalism might
not always be financially rewarding, but I will be fulfilled with being an authentic journalist.
While I may have had a few setbacks along the way, I am truly thankful that I did not give up on
this dream of becoming a journalist. My undergrad career has taught me what I need to learn
about my future and as this chapter is closing, I know that it is not the end of the opportunity for
me to continue learning and growing as a journalist. Going back home to Sierra Leone, I believe
that my experience would expand immensely through my work as I mentioned before. There are
many viewers who watch television in awe with remarks like wow, and working in the media
seems so fun because you get to go to different places, travel all over, and meet all kinds of
people. It is also important to remember that being a great journalist takes a lot of work,
empathy, honesty, passion and humility. As stated earlier, my ultimate goal is to someday work
for a television network based here in the United States. Therefore, my work in covering major

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issues and accomplishments in the continent of Africa will assist me to accomplish my ultimate
goal and make me a better and well-informed journalist.

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Reference:
Murray, G. (2015). Multimedia Storytelling. Retrieved from
Syllabus
University of Virginia. (2012). Retrieved from
Syllabus.
Wilberforce University (2012). Retrieved from
Course catalog.