By Kennedy Culbreath, Gaylord College Class of 2024
Zaria Oates, a 2022 graduate, took every opportunity Gaylord had to offer her. She made connections and became involved in organizations that allowed her to thrive as a rising journalist.
Oates transferred to OU during the pandemic and took classes during the summer of 2020 with Seth Prince and Yvette Walker, assistant dean of student affairs
“Starting early and getting to know my professors helped me make connections from the beginning,” Oates said, and has translated to everything she has done after college.
Oates was involved in OU Daily, OU Nightly, and the Gaylord News program in Washington, D.C. She was chosen by the Intelligence Community to travel to Cambridge, England, to study international security and intelligence. She said the opportunities offered at Gaylord provided real-world applications of journalism and furthered her knowledge in the field.
Oates now works at ABC24 in Memphis, Tenn., as a multi-skilled journalist. She said working at a news station in a diverse community has helped her experience as a Black journalist. She said she looked for a work culture that would “understand me and understand why I wanted to cover the issues that were important to me."
She said the biggest curve ball to navigate in the workforce has been “to filter opinion-based interviews and taking out bias to remain credible when covering issues” that she really cares about.
When asked to give advice to young Black journalists, Oates said, “Yes, you will feel like you stand out because you are one of the few Black students and know that you will look different but make connections. Your professors will not care about your skin color, but more about what you bring to the table. I would not be where I am today without my professors here at Gaylord.”
