Melina Aventurin
PHILIPSBURG–Draped in the flag of her home country, St. Maartener Merlina Aventurin graduated with a degree in journalism recently from the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) School of Journalism and Graphic Communication, in Tallahassee, Florida.
Family and friends from the Netherlands, New York and St. Maarten travelled to Florida to witness her graduation.
“Merlina Aventurin set a standard for herself and the bar was high. It was always evident to me as one of her professors that she was focused on her studies in journalism and dedicated to her craft,” Interim Dean Dr. Dhyana Ziegler was quoted as saying in a press release issued last night. “Every time I saw Merlina, she was working on stories and meeting deadlines. And that kind of drive is what it takes to be in this business.”
For Aventurin’s inquisitive mind, journalism was always an inseparable part of her projected life path. Prior to her arrival at FAMU she was the design editor of the Tallahassee Community College newspaper, The Talon, which later helped her to transition into her position as photo editor and assistant layout editor of FAMU’s newspaper, The FAMUAN.
When asked to what she credits her exemplary college performance to, Aventurin said: “The eye-opening journalism courses provided by FAMU awakened my distinctive journalism talent. My ability to collaborate with others and meet deadlines were honed when I first teamed up with my fellow classmate, Ernest Nelfraud.”
After interacting with several of her classmates, colleagues and instructors it became evident that not only did she bring newsroom management skills to The FAMUAN, but also timely innovations such as building and maintaining the Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook pages.
The release said she credited her “balanced and fair leadership approach” to her dad Merlin Aventurin, her mother Patricia Zamore, stepmother Dolly Aventurin and aunt Vincia John Baptiste. She is the sister of Wilma Aventurin-Cangieter, Mervin, Tasha, Kevin and O’Mally Aventurin.
“Merlina has a wonderful personality and is always smiling. She is indeed one of the bright stars the FAMU School of Journalism and Graphic Communication has produced and I know her light will continue to shine. Merlina has a wonderful future ahead of her and I can’t wait to see what she does next. I am very proud of her accomplishments,” Ziegler said.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/72236-melina-aventurin-graduates-from-school-of-journalism
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