Chapter of Ms. Shields: Education
by Harrison Yeung, staff reporter
Here at World Journalism Preparatory School, Ms. Melissa Shields is a broadcast journalism teacher who is passionate about teaching students the many aspects of journalism. She teaches broadcasting, storytelling, and even how to use the camera to capture a scene and express a story from it.
Ms. Shields began as an undergraduate at Hampton University in Virginia. After obtaining a degree in broadcast journalism, Shields moved to Queens College to pursue a major in secondary special education. Shields also attended Saint John’s University to retrieve two advanced certificates in school leadership.
Choosing a major of broadcast journalism was a favorite for her. “I enjoy the storytelling process,” claimed Ms. Shields, constantly wanting to tell stories about people and issues to the world with audio and video. Her purpose is to enhance storytelling to the best of her ability.
All of her degrees are connected in a way. Journalism allowed Ms. Shields to be unbiased and objective, while learning to be a teacher allowed her to educate students to evaluate all facts of both sides of a story before drawing conclusions.
MS> Shield’s educational journey was not an easy task. Time management(managing coursework, clubs, basketball dance team) and finding and maintaining a balance between coursework, activities, and social life is important for her. “There is always something to learn. Learning is a lifelong process, said Ms. Shields.