When You Don’t See an Opportunity, Create One: Meet Amari Pollard ’17
Amari Pollard ’17 believes firmly that if you don’t see an opportunity, you should create one for yourself. It is a philosophy that has guided much of Pollard’s career. To date she brought her talent and skill to bear as a writer for Inside Lacrosse, co-host of the Sound On with Tari and Amari television halftime show and Sufficiently Black podcast, and co-founder of Amari Dawn Creative Consulting. A native of Baldwinsville, New York, Pollard is now an assistant professor of multimedia journalism at California State University-Sacramento and a news reader at PBS KVIE. She credits her time at Le Moyne, where she majored in communication and spent much of her time out of class working on the campus newspaper, with preparing her to tackle each of these opportunities.
My communication courses and professors, along with my time as a writer and editor-in-chief of The Dolphin, introduced me to journalism fundamentals by teaching me about ethics, transparency, reporting and building audience trust. I utilize those lessons every day in the classroom while instructing the next generation of storytellers and in my own work as a freelance journalist.”
Pollard’s undergraduate years were full of moments that have helped to shape her into the person she is today. Most recently, they helped inspire her to write a collection of poetry, Where There Are Flowers and the Moon, which explores the duality of love and loss and honors the life of her mother, Xandria Sutherland-Pollard ’85, DDS. The process of writing the book extended over eight years, beginning when Pollard was enrolled in a poetry class at Le Moyne led by Linda Pennisi. She found herself writing poems on sticky notes whenever something moved or inspired her and, before she knew it, she was sitting on a large collection of them, trying to make sense of how they related to one another.
Moving forward, Pollard looks forward to growing creatively and professionally, and to continuing to use her work as a tool to affect others.
If in any small way my words and my presence in front of or behind the camera can help people feel more connected to themselves and to others, then I will have fulfilled my purpose.
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At Le Moyne, students develop their voice through writing, journalism and hands-on experiences, building the skills and confidence to create opportunities, tell meaningful stories and connect with others.
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