February is a busy month for those of us who work in television news. It’s one of four major ratings/sweeps months, but it’s also a busy month for speaking engagements.  I visited two different schools in the first two weeks of the month.

Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach invited me back to speak to students for its Founder’s Week celebration on Wednesday, February 8. This year’s theme is embracing differences.

Speaking at Ocean Lakes' Founder's Week event

I spoke to the teens about how they could learn a lot from people who come from different backgrounds, experiences, and beliefs. They had a lot of great questions about my career path and the stories I’ve covered and the people I’ve met.

This is at least my fourth visit to Ocean Lakes. I have a soft spot for the Dolphins because my youngest brother Nick is a proud grad and he’s gone on to do wonderful things and I know these students will, too.

I also visited Regent University in Virginia Beach on Thursday, February 16. The staff of the school newspaper, The Daily Runner  invited me to speak to a group of students about journalism.  They also asked great questions.

I told them about my career path and  talked to them about the importance of learning digital and multimedia tools- since the journalism field is evolving to include all forms of media.

They have a lot of great equipment in their broadcast lab and they are hungry to learn more. It makes me smile with pride to know they’ll be successful professional journalists someday soon!