HIGHER LEARNING: Clark Atlanta University Alumna Selected for International Journalism Exchange Program

Clark Atlanta University alumna Crystal Brockton was selected by the United States Consulate’s Georgia Council for International Visitors Program to represent Georgia in its annual Journalism Exchange Program.  A 2010 CAU graduate, Brockton will travel to Salvador, Brazil, Oct. 3 to promote the sharing of experiences between innovative community journalists aiming to strengthen ties between Brazilians and Americans.

Brockton credits her work as a student journalist on “Newsbreak,” the CAU-TV live daily student newscast, along with her study abroad learning experiences, for sparking her interest in broadcast journalism.  She studied at Edge Hill University in Lancashire, England, while a mass media arts television major at CAU.  Today, as CAU-TV’s traffic coordinator and special events reporter for nearly three years, she has produced and hosted a news special, “Two Weeks Notice: The Boycott of Injustice,” addressing challenges faced by young African-American men.

She has covered major national events, including President Barack Obama’s 2013 commencement address at Morehouse College, in addition to two national awards shows, the 2014 BET Hip Hop Awards and the 2014 Trumpet Awards.

Prior to joining the CAU-TV staff, Brockton earned significant experience through internships at WXIA-TV Atlanta, CNN and TBS.  Upon her return from Brazil, she will launch a project that will connect CAU-TV and Brazilian student journalists in producing a daily televised news program that will stream internationally on CAU-TV.

CAU-TV Station Manager Murdell McFarlin says, “When the request came to recommend a young journalist to apply for the Young Journalist International internship from the Georgia International Visitors Program, I immediately thought of Crystal.  She is an energetic, adventurous, well-skilled journalist who takes every opportunity to contribute to the marketplace of ideas.  I anticipate that Crystal will represent Clark Atlanta well in this international journalist exchange.”

The Georgia Council for International Visitors is a 501(c)3 nonprofit international exchange organization.  Each year, more than 500 emerging leaders from 100-plus countries participate in the exchange program.  These distinguished guests represent politics, government, the media, non-governmental organizations, education, public health, the arts, business and trade, international security, and various other fields.  During the course of six decades, more than 330 program participants have gone on to become presidents or prime ministers of their countries, including France’s Nicolas Sarkozy, India’s Manmohan Singh, and Mexico’s Felipe Calderon.