What’s Akilah’s story?
Calling myself a veteran journalist makes me sound sort of old, but that is what I am. For more than 15 years I have scribbled interviews on Post-it Notes, the backs of envelopes and the occasional reporter’s notebook for the LA Times, Sun Sentinel, and the Boston Globe.
But today’s journalist needs more than pen and paper to cover the news, so I returned to my alma mater, the University of Miami, in 2008 for a little re-education (and a master’s degree) in multimedia journalism. I was a full-time journalist and a full-time student. Crazy? Probably. But I acquired the necessary tools to stay relevant–and employable–in the modern world of communications. Now, I’m at Stanford University, where I am a 2019 John S. Knight Journalism Fellow.
I have interviewed presidential candidates in New Hampshire, protesters in Ferguson, Mo., and parishioners of Mother Emanuel in Charleston, S.C. I have been to Haiti and Cape Verde. Moderated mayoral debates and forums, made regular guest appearances on the WGBH programs Greater Boston (around 23 minute mark) and Under the Radar, and chit-chatted with more than a few 4-year-olds.
No, seriously. Interviewing children is one of my favorite things! Another favorite: Dr. Seuss. These lines from “If I Ran the Zoo” pretty much sum up my reporting philosophy:
If you want to catch beasts you don’t see every day,
You have to go places quite out-of-the-way.
You have to go places no others can get to.
You have to get cold and you have to get wet, too.
Want to reach me? Try me on Twitter @akjohnson1922 or email at akjohn@stanford.edu.
Please note that all images, videos, stories and projects on this site are copyright protected by either Akilah Johnson, the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Boston Globe, or the respective organization.
Akilah Johnson 
Did you, by any chance go to Interlochen for music camp? If so, this is Galite. I was in your cabin.
I did not. Hope my namesake was a fun cabinmate though