By: Bianca De Paz

Tre’Vaughn Howard, a senior majoring in Broadcast Journalism and Political Science, was selected for The New York Times Student Journalism Institute, which is being held remotely for Spring 2021.

The Student Journalism Institute brings aspiring journalists together from across the world to learn to produce material that meets the standards of the most prominent and demanding news organization in the nation.

Howard, a reporter for UMTV and a member of the President’s 100, was thrilled to find out that he was selected to participate in the program while studying abroad in Hong Kong during his junior year in Fall 2019. During that time, the Hong Kong leaders drafted the extradition bill, creating a tense pro-democracy movement.

“It was very eye-opening to be over there during that time and looking back, I’m so thankful for that experience because it taught me so much as a student, journalist, and also just as a human being,” Howard said.

As a student, he has built a strong relationship with CBS since June 2019. For his first internship, he was placed in the news division and worked alongside the social media team for CBS ‘This Morning’. He attended editorial meetings and had the opportunity of being directly inside the newsroom. He has also worked within the social media team with CBS News. His job included writing articles weekly for the website and putting together social media videos for trending topics.

Last summer, he returned with CBS and began his internship for ‘On the Road’ with Steve Hartman and his team. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic hit. Therefore, it turned out to be a remote internship. He then rotated to the features team for CBS ‘This Morning’, helping them with newsgathering for a project and attending editorial meetings via Zoom. He was able to have a discussion with their on-air talent, James Brown from FOX Sports about his personal and professional journey.

Tre’Vaughn has previously been involved in our Student Government’s Board of Communication, The Miami Hurricane, and the Debate Team.

Since his freshman year, he’s worked in the dean’s office as an undergraduate assistant at the School of Communication and has enjoyed every minute of it.

“Working in the dean’s office has been one of the most memorable moments of my college experience and I want to give a big shout out to the dean’s assistant, Lianne,” he added.

Part of why he is drawn to journalism is because of the many qualities behind it.

“Being compassionate, being a sponge, and having an open mind to the complexities of life, will really help you,” he says.

Typically, The New York Times Student Journalism Institute is a two-week-long program. Students work under the direction of Times journalists, who serve as faculty. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s cohort includes 22 students, with a total of 38 universities in an all-remote format.

Howard originally applied for the Institute his freshman year and was rejected. Through his hard work and determination, he practiced his skills and is now looking forward to learning from the most prominent journalists.

“What really truly inspires me is definitely the pursuit of learning and self-development,” he added.

For more information about The New York Times Student Journalism Institute, visit http://nytimes-institute.com/ and to learn more all about Tre’Vaughn Howard’s journey, check out his portfolio https://trehoward.wixsite.com/trehoward