Akua Devall (COM ‘25) recently covered the New Hampshire Republican Primary Election on the ground with BU News Service, a COM-led multimedia journalism publication. “I experienced real life, kind of like a snippet of what the real world will be as a journalist,” Devall said. Working at such a popular and relevant event came with its challenges. “That was my first experience of dealing with pushback as the media,” said Devall.
One of Devall’s main roles was interviewing event attendees. She credits journalism Professor Tina McDuffie for preparing her to engage with people as a reporter. “She teaches us that a closed mouth never gets fed,” Devall said. This lesson inspired Devall to draw on confidence and independence when working on a story. As the interviewing went on, Devall sharpened her techniques and interacted with professional journalists on the scene.
Devall’s interviewing was “Man-On-The-Street” style for BU News Service’s new expansion of media coverage to include videos and podcasts. “I was basically tasked with going out to the polling stations and asking people who they’re voting for,” said Devall. With people rushing around to the buzz of the event, Devall focused on keeping her smile and confidence.
Professional journalists covering the event interacted with Devall and her team as they worked side-by-side. Some didn’t take the students as seriously as other professionals, but others offered career advice and wanted to ask them questions. “It teaches you about professionalism, it teaches you about hustle,” said Devall.
Devall is a driven journalism major; she jumps at chances to further her work and get involved in extracurricular student groups. “What propelled me to really do a lot of activities was Good Morning BU,” Devall said. The exposure to that point of view of television production drew Devall in and led her to work both as a writer and a reporter for the organization.
“That really gave me the confidence to just expand my wings and join as many news organizations at BU as I could”
Akua Devall, COM ’25
Starting at BU in the midst of COVID-19, Devall felt introverted and shy in her journalism. Through the classroom and BU groups, Devall’s shell began to open up as her interest in reporting grew. “Journalism truly gave me the opportunity to break that shyness and allow that extrovertedness in me to come through,” Devall said. One of the skills Devall has grown is making conversations with strangers, something she never thought she could have done in freshman year.
Through such hands-on experience, Devall reflects, “It definitely reaffirmed that journalism is what I want to do.” Within the fast pace and chaos of the work, Devall continues to work toward her journalism goals, getting better with each and every story.
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