• Campus
    • Campus
    • Student Life
    • Administration
    • Faculty
    • Higher Education
  • City & County
    • City & County
    • Chapel Hill
    • Carrboro
    • Education
    • Public Safety
  • Politics
    • Politics
    • North Carolina
    • National
  • Sports
    • Sports
    • Football
    • Men's Basketball
    • Women's Basketball
    • Cross Country
    • Golf
    • Men's Soccer
    • Women's Soccer
    • Swimming and Diving
    • Men's Tennis
    • Women's Tennis
    • Field Hockey
    • Rowing
    • Volleyball
  • Culture
    • Culture
    • Arts & Entertainment
    • Food
  • Opinion
    • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Cartoons
    • Columns
    • Letters
    • Kvetching Board
  • Multimedia
    • Multimedia
    • Video
    • Galleries
    • Audio
  • About
    • About
    • Hiring
    • Board of Directors
    • Alumni
    • Corrections
    • Contact
    • Meet the editors
    • Policies & Bylaws
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Policies
    • Events Calendar
    • Celebrations
    • Obituaries
  • Donate
  • Story Collections

  • HeelsHousing
  • Offline Chapel Hill
  • Shop
  • Buy Photos
  • 1893 Brand Studio
  • Alumni
  • Events Calendar
  • Celebrations/Obits
    • Celebrations
    • Obituaries
  • Southern Neighbor
  • Newsletter
  • Classifieds
  • Campus
  • City & County
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Culture
  • Opinion
  • Donate
  • HeelsHousing
  • Search
The Daily Tar Heel

Serving the students and the University community since 1893.

The Daily Tar Heel
    • Campus
      • Campus
      • Student Life
      • Administration
      • Faculty
      • Higher Education
    • City & County
      • City & County
      • Chapel Hill
      • Carrboro
      • Education
      • Public Safety
    • Politics
      • Politics
      • North Carolina
      • National
    • Sports
      • Sports
      • Football
      • Men's Basketball
      • Women's Basketball
      • Cross Country
      • Golf
      • Men's Soccer
      • Women's Soccer
      • Swimming and Diving
      • Men's Tennis
      • Women's Tennis
      • Field Hockey
      • Rowing
      • Volleyball
    • Culture
      • Culture
      • Arts & Entertainment
      • Food
    • Opinion
      • Opinion
      • Editorials
      • Cartoons
      • Columns
      • Letters
      • Kvetching Board
    • Multimedia
      • Multimedia
      • Video
      • Galleries
      • Audio
    • About
      • About
      • Hiring
      • Board of Directors
      • Alumni
      • Corrections
      • Contact
      • Meet the editors
      • Policies & Bylaws
    • Advertise
      • Advertise
      • Policies
      • Events Calendar
      • Celebrations
      • Obituaries
    • Donate
    • Story Collections

    • HeelsHousing
    • Offline Chapel Hill
    • Shop
    • Buy Photos
    • 1893 Brand Studio
    • Alumni
    • Events Calendar
    • Celebrations/Obits
      • Celebrations
      • Obituaries
    • Southern Neighbor
    • Newsletter
    • Classifieds
  • In the News
  • The OC Report
  • Men's basketball
  • Crime and public safety
  • Football
  • Hillsborough

1/30/2019, 8:22pm

Meet this year’s Media and Journalism School commencement speaker

Meet this year’s Media and Journalism School commencement speaker Buy Photos

UNC graduate and Miami Herald writer Jacqueline Charles has been selected to give the commencement speech for the spring 2019 graduating class of the UNC School of Media and Journalism. “Oh my God, it was totally unexpected, a huge honor," Charles said. "As a student at the J-school at Carolina, I always enjoyed whenever my professors, especially one in particular, Harry Amana, he would always invite working journalists who are also graduates of the school to come back in to talk to us. And so I just remember sitting in his class and just saying, my God, I hope one day I get invited back. I just thought that was just sort of be like the pinnacle, of sort of my career, and just saying, wow, okay. You know what? I really am a journalist.”  Photo Courtesy of C.W. Griffin 

Share

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Mail
  • Print
BY Lauren Westbrook

UNC graduate and Miami Herald writer Jacqueline Charles has been selected to give the commencement speech for the spring 2019 graduating class of the UNC School of Media and Journalism. 

Born in Grand Turk to a Haitian mother, Charles began her journalism career at the age of 14 at the Miami Herald, where she currently serves as the Caribbean correspondent. She accepted a scholarship to attend UNC, where she received her B.A. in journalism in 1994 while working as an editorial board member at The Daily Tar Heel.

“She started as a reporter, writing for the same newspaper she does now. She does documentaries, radio, and social media. She represents the future,” said Susan King, dean of the UNC School of Media and Journalism. 

Charles has won several awards for her work, including the NABJ Journalist of the Year following her 15-month tenure in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. 

In July, she won Columbia Journalism School's Maria Moors Cabot Prize, awarded to journalists who cover the Americas, for her reporting on Haiti.


Editors Picks

A decade of activism: How social justice movements have continued at UNC in the 2010s


Bars became a safe place during a decade of change for the N.C. LGBTQ+ community


After a decade of tuition increases, the General Assembly wrestles with affordability



"It is the highest and most prestigious award," said King. "This is a big deal award, and it seemed like the perfect year to have her come. She is dynamic, understands politics, international affairs, and her life story can engage young people."

Upon receiving the invitation to speak at commencement, Charles knew what her decision would be. 

“Oh my God! It was totally unexpected, a huge honor," said Charles. "As a student at the J-school at Carolina, I always enjoyed whenever my professors, especially one in particular, Harry Amana, he would always invite working journalists who are also graduates of the school to come back in to talk to us. And so I just remember sitting in his class and just saying, 'My God, I hope one day I get invited back.' I just thought that was sort of like the pinnacle of my career, and just saying, 'Wow, okay. You know what? I really am a journalist.'” 

Maryam Mohamed, a senior within the School of Media and Journalism, said she is excited for Charles to come. 

"I think she has some interesting work, and I’ve been a big fan of her stuff for several years," said Mohamed. "I really look at her as an inspiration.” 

As students prepare to leave UNC and enter the professional arena, Charles serves as an example of a successful journalist of color reporting on international affairs. 

"You know, we are going through challenging times, but we will survive," said Charles. "There's always a need for our professions, for communicators, for truth finders, for people who are going today and sort of set the record straight, so to speak.” 

Graduates, parents, students and community members will gather on May 11 in Carmichael Arena to celebrate the graduates. 

“So knowing what impact that had on me personally as a student in the journalism school, and to be able to be in a position today to give that back and show my fight, my experience, my trajectory, could somehow have an impact on this year's graduates, it's a huge honor," Charles said. "I've gotten to go up (to Chapel Hill) to a few (commencements) over the years, but this actually tops it.” 

@laurenelizw

university@dailytarheel.com


Next up in Student Life

  • Student Government hosts workshop featuring professional lobbyists and state senator

  • 'It’s totally surreal': UNC's fourth astronaut graduate recalls her path to NASA

  • From holiday gifts to clothing lines: How UNC students use BeAM makerspaces

  • SPONSORED Takeout Central's delivery heroes serve local Tar Heels, battle corporate foes


Next up in Campus

  • Police presence, settlement plan and UNC donations brought up at Silent Sam rally

  • The 2010s: the decade that changed everything

  • The athletic-academic scandal: How an NCAA investigation impacted the University


Next up in UNC-Chapel Hill

  • How 10 years of crime and public safety incidents affected the Chapel Hill community

  • North Carolina Museum of History exhibit celebrates 200 years of the NC Supreme Court

  • This UNC grad and former vegetarian created a pork company focused on sustainability


Next up in Faculty and Administration

  • Faculty sign letter in support of student activists arrested in Pittsboro protests

  • Waitlists and frustrations grow as UNC's computer science department tries to keep up

  • 'Blistering': UNC faces fines after federal safety, crime reporting violations


Next up in Faculty

  • Faculty sign letter in support of student activists arrested in Pittsboro protests

  • Waitlists and frustrations grow as UNC's computer science department tries to keep up

  • 'Progress is being made': Police chief updates faculty on trust in the community


Next up in UNC School of Media and Journalism

  • UNC students hope to transform McCorkle Place through new art installation

  • A Hussman history: how an Arkansas newspaper war led to a landmark UNC donation

  • Applications to business journalism major suspended following uncertainty


The Daily Tar Heel welcomes thoughtful discussion on all of our stories, but please keep comments civil and on-topic.

Latest Print Edition

Print Edition Print Archive

Decade in Review

Special Print Edition

Start the Presses!

Thank you for reading! You are someone who appreciates independent student journalism, support that work with your tax-deductible donation today!

Donate Now!
    • Front Page
    • Campus
    • City & County
    • Politics
    • Sports
    • Culture
    • Opinion
    • Donate
    • HeelsHousing
Daily Tar Heel To Homepage
109 E. Franklin St. Suite 210, Chapel Hill, NC 27514
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Shop
  • Buy Photos
  • 1893 Brand Studio
  • Alumni
  • Events Calendar
  • Celebrations/Obituaries
  • Southern Neighbor
  • Offline Chapel Hill
  • Newsletter
  • RSS
  • Classifieds

All Rights Reserved

© Copyright 2019 The Daily Tar Heel

Powered by Solutions by The State News.

A Century of Champions

The perfect gift for the UNC fan in your life. Celebrate UNC basketball's years of success with "A Century of Champions," a keepsake poster from The Daily Tar Heel and 1893 Brand Studio.

Buy Now