Jaylen Carr is a Stats Analyst at ESPN, as well as an adjunct professor and tech assistant at SCSU. Carr graduated from Southern with a B.A. in Journalism in 2023. He teaches JRN 135 and JRN 200 at Southern.
Why did you choose to study journalism?
I studied journalism because, for one, I love to write. Originally I was a secondary ed English major, and I figured out like, ‘I don’t know [about] working in the school system.’ I was kind of debating it, but deep down I knew I had a passion for sports, so I’m like, ‘I’m just going to make the switch over to journalism.’ When I did, I felt like it was the best decision that I ever made. So I think journalism really was a perfect fit, because I like interacting with people, I like interviewing [and] I like writing. All the skills, the journalistic skills that I learned, came really natural for me. So I felt it was like a perfect fit for myself.
How have the skills you learned in campus media positions influenced your current career?
When I was part of Southern News, we worked with InDesign, so a tool that I’m using right now as an adjunct professor here. I’m teaching JRN 135 students, and we just did a project on InDesign. From my undergrad days, I learned InDesign through campus media and in the classroom, and now that I’m teaching as an adjunct professor for the department, I am applying those skills. I’m applying that to my class that I’m teaching. Another example is writing. I’m teaching JRN 200, which is more like reporting, the basic writing course. Getting that practice when I was part of Southern News and Crescent magazine, getting those reps in [writing] the stories made me a better writer because it went through the editing process. People looked at it and gave me feedback. I’m applying that now as a teacher. We just went over how to edit. So again, that came from not only the classroom, but through campus media [and] going through those edits there. So I think campus media played a big factor in my job today.
What led you to teaching journalism?
I love journalism so much. I feel like it’s such an important thing. It’s just so important, especially now. But I wanted to get into it because I come from teachers. My mom was a teacher, and she runs her own learning center out in Bridgeport, Connecticut. I just come from teachers and that background. I was a secondary ed major. I went to high schools, and I did my substitute teaching there, so I have a background in the classroom. So there’s always been a passion for teaching. I have that background of being in the classroom, but specifically with journalism, I felt like I can bring something different to the table. Being a younger professor, I can relate on some things. I feel like I can bring a different perspective in the classroom as well. With myself working at ESPN and my sports background, I could bring something to the table. I think I offer some good things to the classroom that can benefit the students.
What advice do you have for current journalism students?
I would say, obviously, get involved. Building your resume is very important. Ask questions. Always ask them. I was never afraid to ask questions when I was lost or something, or like if I wanted more understanding on something. I was never afraid to ask questions. Of course, get involved [in campus media]. I feel like I wanted to have a well-versed catalog in my Dropbox. Obviously, like for me, sports is number one. So all my sports stuff is going to be number one on my resume and Dropbox. But I want to be versatile. So I got involved with features. I did some news, and I was the news writer for a semester. I was writing news because I wanted to just build that resume. So having that versatility, I always say, is important, because jobs look at that.