On the way to becoming a journalist, Angelica Robinson discovered that the core of the profession is not in storytelling. Instead, she found that it is the opportunity to breed compassion within our society.

When Robinson interviewed the mother of Jeremiah Sterling, the 16-year-old Chicago boy who was killed by gun violence, she left with more than the information needed to complete her homework assignment.

“The experience taught me about life and the resilience of people in the face of adversity,” said Robinson. “At one point, I thought the job of a journalist was to provide digestible news. I never realized how much I would be impacted by the people and their stories. The people I meet in interviews are inspiring. It showed me life is about helping and learning from each other. Being a journalist presents the opportunity to do exactly that.”

Robinson nearly missed the opportunity for her discovery. Initially, she envisioned a career in sports medicine — despite her lack of interest in sports and health care.

But she remembered that as a child, she enjoyed accompanying her father, a photographer for a local television station in Dayton, Ohio, to breaking news stories.

Unless the situation was deemed dangerous, Robinson was next to her father observing as he balanced his camera on one shoulder while using his free hand to hold a microphone and interview observers.

“When I was 4 years old,” said Robinson. “I remember my father on the job and me asking, ‘Daddy, can I hold the microphone? I want to tell everyone what just happened!’”

Despite her early interest in sharing news with people, several years passed before Robinson made the choice to switch from health care to communication.

While struggling to memorize human anatomy during her freshman year, Robinson excelled in her basic writing class. Once realizing she had a natural ability for storytelling — and accepting her weakness in health care — she began exploring disciplines where she could use her talent.

That year proved to be the catalyst for her studies in journalism. After four years of courses on public relations, English and journalism, Robinson graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a bachelor’s degree in communication.

However, her lack of experience kept her from finding the full-time, paid opportunity to tell the stories within her community.

“I applied for television jobs but was turned down because I didn't have practical experience,” recalled Robinson. “I decided to come to DePaul University to get that experience. Many of the professors at DePaul are journalism professionals themselves, so they tailor their lesson plans to reflect the current media landscape.”

She was held to the same standard as a working journalist in Chicago and was expected to perform as such.

Following graduation, Robinson takes with her a portfolio of impressive stories on the NATO summit, President Obama's election night speech, the Chicago teachers' strike, the Chicago Public Schools closings protest and the funeral of Hadiya Pendleton, the teen who was murdered in Chicago only weeks after performing at an inaugural event for President Obama. Robinson’s frequent contributions to The Red Line Project, a student-run news site, earned her a national award from the Online News Association.

A portfolio is crucial to building a career, but it was her unexpected lesson in determination that she found most valuable.

“When I get discouraged,” said Robinson. “I think back to some of the people who I've interviewed and their strength in terrible situations. It puts my troubles in perspective and reminds me that I can push forward, too. It's inspiring.”

Written by Ximena N. Beltran Quan Kiu