By Suzannah Young
Nadege Green may tell the stories of others for a living, but on Feb 22., Green told her own.
A researcher, writer, editor, community archivist, and audio producer (just to name a few), the Barry alumna shared stories with students of Dr. Andrea Greenbaum’s Magazine Article Writing class about her time as an undergrad at Barry and her subsequent transition into the field of journalism. In her inspirational speech about making the most of a college education and working in media, Green articulated themes of empowerment, identity, and resilience through the telling of her own life experiences as a woman of color, full-time reporter, and single mother.
Born and raised in Miami to a family of Haitian immigrants, Green was a girl with an immense love for learning, who made the most of her self-paid college education by taking a variety of courses (science was her favorite) and involving herself in a multitude of extra curriculars, where she interacted with like-minded people and discovered her passions. Green’s natural curiosity proved especially beneficial in an Investigative Reporting course when her professor offered her a clerk position at The Miami Herald after witnessing her relentless motivation and vast potential. In her time as a clerk, Green learned the value of networking and even began writing articles for a small section of the paper. In 2010, when Haiti was hit with a magnitude 7.0 earthquake, The Herald offered Green a platform to write about her experience as a Haitian living in Miami with family on the island amidst the tragedy. Heart-wrenching as it was, Green’s superb reporting of the issue led the paper to offer her a job as a full-time reporter…and the rest is history. Embracing her aspirations and yearning to grow in her career, Nadege eventually left The Miami Herald and has since worked for multiple other highly accredited media establishments including PRI’s the World, NPR, WLRN News, and Marketplace.
Today, Green is an activist working on a variety of media projects centered around the lives and experiences of people of color in South Florida, while also assuming fellowships at both the University of Miami and the University of Southern California. A firm believer in the power of learning, Green encourages students to remain curious and to never stop pursuing knowledge as they move forward in their careers and in the world.
Suzannah Young is double major in Communications and Media Studies and Public Relations with a minor in Journalism – set to graduate in spring of 2023.