SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Whitney Williams has always had a passion for both law and journalism. Her mother is a lawyer and both her grandfathers were radio journalists. You could say it runs in her blood. Last October she completed her law degree in Trinidad. She finds herself in Syracuse, New York getting her masters at the S.I Newhouse School of Public Communications.
“I would see my mom doing her client-based work and then I would see my grandparents writing stories. They had little at-home studios as well so I would always go in there, play around with the microphones, just push buttons…I just really liked to hear myself,” said Williams
During her five-years studying law, she maintained a connection to journalism by working at a radio station during summers and shadowing journalists. Williams plans on using both law and journalism in her career.
“I want to sort of try to report on stories that are law-related or influence the laws,” she said.
As Williams dives into journalism, she finds herself struggling to turn off her law brain. She notes that while law relies on collecting evidence and advocating for clients, the field of journalism demands creativity in finding new angles and creating television packages. Her biggest struggle is having to realize there is a bigger picture to it all.
“The skills that I did learn from law school, for example, like interviewing, sort of like writing an argument. Those kinds of things have helped along with just like expressing myself. But the two areas of practice are pretty different,” said Williams.
Williams manages to ease her way through school despite the difficulties.
“One of my go-to activities for relaxation is watching Disney or visiting my sister in New York City. But if I’m back home? Nothing beats the beach,” she said.