For the longest time, I’d been looking for a Masters program to pursue, but I couldn’t seem to find the right fit. I looked at programs in Toronto, in Calgary, I looked at online programs, programs south of the border–but couldn’t find one that spoke to where I felt God was taking me.

It wasn’t until the spring of 2017, I came across the leadership program at Trinity Western University. I knew it was the right fit for me: not just because of where I was going, but because of where I was at. Since October 2016, I’ve been working with a team of journalists to restart the Canadian Association of Black Journalists. Now more than ever, I needed to know how to lead within a nonprofit organization and how to do that strategically.

People in the news industry tend to believe all of the leadership training a News Director or Managing Editor needs is gained through work experience. There is some truth to this: one cannot be a good anchor unless they’re a great reporter, one can’t be a good reporter, unless they’re a great writer–and so on down the chain it goes. However, what we never learn in newsrooms is how to lead. We focus so much on the product–the newscast–and sometimes relationships suffer as a result. Newsrooms are often tense place to be: a room full of ‘Type A’ personalities, staring down deadlines, driven to get the story even before their own colleagues. We are very good at communicating, but we still don’t know how to talk to eachother. I knew if I was going to lead inside and outside of my newsroom, I needed to learn how to lead.

However, I didn’t want the typical leadership training: I wanted something that aligned with my faith and a deeper sense of purpose. This leadership program is what I’d been looking for. I believe I’ll be forever thankful for the day I enrolled in this program…

…Which brings me to where I’m at now: part of a team restarting a national nonprofit organization, but sincerely clueless as to what the work actually entails! In many ways, I learn as I go, and this program has been instrumental in helping me navigate the labyrinth that is the early years of nonprofit leadership. The work is deeply rewarding but also deeply challenging. It is imperative in situations like this to understand how to lead strategically. In my case, it’s also crucial for the future of the organization: we need a plan if we’re going to succeed. Everything from volunteer recruitment to succession planning to branding has to be done strategically, with the viable future of the CABJ at the forefront of our minds.

I’m very excited to embark on this next stage of the MA Leadership journey with all of you!