Enjoyiana Nururdin began her work in journalism early, writing for La Follette’s school newspaper in 8th grade via an internship. Writing was something Enjoyiana always knew she wanted to do, and she would rise to the occasion again and again to reach her goals and keep pushing the envelope. Currently, she works for CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell as a Broadcast Associate and serves as the Student Representative on the National Association of Black Journalists Board of Directors.

Through high school, Enjoyiana continued her writing for La Follette’s paper, The Lance, and became the editor-in-chief by her junior year. She credits Mrs. Donna Kennedy, the newspaper class teacher, for pushing her and fostering her interests through the years. It was during her time as editor-in-chief when she discovered journalism to be her true passion, citing the experience as not only fun but critical in becoming a confident journalist. Even outside of school, Enjoyiana worked at Simpson Street Free Press, where she would make connections with like-minded people and build her skills as a writer and critical thinker.

“[Mrs. Donna Kennedy’s] classroom was the only environment I really learned about the journalistic side. I always wanted to research topics deeper – I was always thinking: ‘there’s something more that needs to be addressed here.’”

Beyond journalism, Enjoyiana’s high school experience affirmed the value of advocating for herself. During her freshman year, she chose to take all honors classes. While there were few other students in her classes who looked like Enjoyiana, she took this as an opportunity to be assertive and push herself. She regards La Follette as being extremely supportive, noting that her teachers were always looking out for her and wanted to see her succeed. History and English classes were especially engaging, providing opportunities for deep discussion and helping Enjoyiana realize her passions. Enjoyiana graduated from La Follette in 2017.

“Being a Black woman in a class full of people that don’t look like me helped me develop a confidence to speak for myself and articulate my thoughts, push the envelope and always speak up.”

In attending and excelling at UW Madison, Enjoyiana overcame marginalization in a predominantly White culture and academic environment. While attending UW’s “Summer Collegiate Experience”, she noticed a prominent perception of her as a Black woman on campus- that she was attending on scholarship rather than on her own merits. Having constantly pushed herself to improve and learn through her high school years, it is obvious this could not be further from the truth. Enjoyiana’s achievements would continue to pile up over the course of here college career, doing work for The Capital Times, The Black Voice, The Washington Post, Wisconsin Watch, and NBC’s Weekend Today Show in NYC.

Looking beyond UW, Enjoyiana was told yet again that she could not do something, this time in reference to applying to graduate school. In March of 2021, she received the news that she’d been accepted to Columbia University. Enjoyiana will to pursue a Master of Arts in the School of Journalism with a focus in politics.

“During my time at LHS and UW, I’ve learned a lot about self-advocacy, and also that support systems are extremely important. I didn’t think I’d be so nostalgic about high school, but as I reflect, I realize that everything I learned there has really translated in success.”