ll
JET Editor-in-Chief Mitzi Miller delivered a heartfelt Homecoming Convocation address recounting how her FAMU training prepared her for success in the fast-paced, highly competitive world of magazine publishing.
Miller took the helm of JET in May 2011, shortly after receiving a phone call Johnson Publishing Company CEO Desiree Rogers, the former White House social secretary for U.S. President Barack Obama.
Her climb to the top ranks of her profession is a testament to her personal resilience. Miller had a liver transplant on June 30, 1998. She told the audience that she thankful to be alive considering the fact that liver transplant recipients are typically expected to live only about 10 years after the surgery.
In her address, Miller emphasized that it is important to take chances. She described how she once walked up to Honey Magazine Editor-in Chief Amy DuBois Barnett and said:
“Listen, you don’t know me, but I love the magazine and would really really really love to work with you. I’m an English major, which means I am trainable, and I’m going to be a star, so you should get on the ground level before I blow up and become like Oprah and you can’t get at me.”
The brief conversation led to an editorial internship. From there, Miller worked her way up to a columnist position at the publication.
Miller added that one of the most important lessons she learned on The Hill was the importance of networking and establishing relationships.
"Be careful how you treat one another," she told the thousands of students and alumni in attendance. "People remember."
While studying at FAMU, Miller was a member of the softball team.
JET Editor-in-Chief Mitzi Miller delivered a heartfelt Homecoming Convocation address recounting how her FAMU training prepared her for success in the fast-paced, highly competitive world of magazine publishing.Miller took the helm of JET in May 2011, shortly after receiving a phone call Johnson Publishing Company CEO Desiree Rogers, the former White House social secretary for U.S. President Barack Obama.
Her climb to the top ranks of her profession is a testament to her personal resilience. Miller had a liver transplant on June 30, 1998. She told the audience that she thankful to be alive considering the fact that liver transplant recipients are typically expected to live only about 10 years after the surgery.
In her address, Miller emphasized that it is important to take chances. She described how she once walked up to Honey Magazine Editor-in Chief Amy DuBois Barnett and said:
“Listen, you don’t know me, but I love the magazine and would really really really love to work with you. I’m an English major, which means I am trainable, and I’m going to be a star, so you should get on the ground level before I blow up and become like Oprah and you can’t get at me.”
The brief conversation led to an editorial internship. From there, Miller worked her way up to a columnist position at the publication.
Miller added that one of the most important lessons she learned on The Hill was the importance of networking and establishing relationships.
"Be careful how you treat one another," she told the thousands of students and alumni in attendance. "People remember."
While studying at FAMU, Miller was a member of the softball team.