Allana J. Barefield is a senior mass communication major. The Bostonian is a student representative for the NABJ Sports Task Force, and loves writing feature stories because sports are more than just stats.
I always have to remind myself that the worst word a source could say is “no.” Hearing the word “no” multiple times has made me work harder and be hungrier to climb the ladder in my chosen career of journalism.
I immediately began to develop my professional reporting experience once I stepped foot on Xavier University of Louisiana’s campus.
I have worked for The New York Times Institute, The Boston Globe, The Advocate, The Courier-Journal, New Orleans Channel 6 (WDSU) among other local and national media organizations.
In 2017 I was nationally selected for the Spotify Opening Act HBCU Conference in New York City, N.Y. They picked 90 participants out of 855 applicants and I was the only representative from Xavier.
In summer 2017, I made the boldest pitch of my student career, and won my first election as the student representative for The National Association of Black Journalists Sports Task Force Committee. It was with NABJ that my journalism training first started in Boston as a high school conference reporter.
As a Boston native, the ability to cover another city provides me with a different perspective on the lives of communities across the country. It is also a hopeful but challenging time in New Orleans, being 12 years after Katrina. Every story I cover is a rewarding learning experience to share the stories about recovery.
Although, I currently write general assignment stories about news across New Orleans and surrounding parishes, I have a strong passion in sports and entertainment.
Living in New Orleans for three years now I have grown as a reporter in ways I never could imagined. I was able to connect with my roots as New Orleans is the home of my late father who passed away before I got to college. Here in New Orleans I was able to connect to his memory.
I look forward in having a career that allows me to be the microphone to the voiceless.