Often as we embark on many different aspects of life there is always something that makes us want to push a little harder than usual. Beunkka Davis strives to meet her full potential everyday.
Davis, 23, an Indianola, Mississippi native, was born to James and Bernice Gamble. Her father works as a welder for Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation and her mother is a homemaker. According to Davis, “My father taught me the importance of hard work and my mother taught me to always be gracious and to present myself in the best light.” She has one older sibling named Brittany who is her inspiration. Brittany, a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. graduated from Delta State University with a Bachelors in Journalism at only 20-years-old and a Masters in Mississippi Delta History and Culture at 22-years-old. “With those types of accolades encouraging me to be successful, I have no choice but to go for it,” said Davis.
Davis is a 2011 graduate of Lakeview Technological Academy in Kenosha, Wisconsin which has an emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). When contemplating colleges to attend she wanted to know how she could apply her knowledge of science and technology into Mass Communications which lead to an epiphany that guided her to focus on the technical equipment and software aspects of Mass Communications. So Davis enrolled at Alcorn State University in the Fall of 2011 as an eager Freshman destined to acquire all of the knowledge that her new found major and university could provide her.
As a student at Alcorn, Davis took full advantage of every opportunity that she was granted. Along with being a staff writer for The Campus Chronicle, Alcorn’s Online newspaper, she had a radio and student television show called Dice Entertainment which focused on politics and educating the viewers and listeners about events happening in the African American community. During her time as a Mass Communications major at Alcorn, the Trayvon Martin and Mike Brown cases became prevalent, so this afforded her the opportunity to express her thoughts on these issues to her audience. “Mass Communications is a vessel that if used correctly can both entertain and inform the masses which is exactly what I tried to do,” expressed Davis.
Not to limit herself to only the Mass Communications department, Davis explored other avenues of communication by working for the Public Relations (PR) Service for the Alcorn State University School of Agriculture, Research, Extension and Applied Services (AREAS) where she wrote press releases, took photos, and conducted interviews which were disseminated university wide and sometimes featured in ASU Today. Also during her tenure at Alcorn, Davis studied abroad in Costa Rica for the Spring 2013 semester. “Going to Costa Rica was a once in a life time opportunity. I learned a little Spanish but gained a newfound perspective for international affairs and Afro-Latino culture which I will carry with me for the rest of my life,” said Davis.
She obtained a Bachelors of Science degree in Mass Communications from Alcorn State University in 2015. Currently she is pursuing a Masters in the Department of Radio, Television and Film at Howard University in Washington, DC. While at Howard she has acquired a position as a PR Officer at the Software Information Industry Association where she is responsible for copy editing, putting out a weekly newsletter, and updating the companies’ social media websites.
Davis’ advice to any student pursuing a degree in Mass Communications would be to “stay focused because there are a lot of distractions that can weigh you down and deviate you from your chosen path. I like to think of life as an airplane. It can become airborne even when saddled with heavy luggage and people. But how much easier could it fly without the extra weight. So as you pursue your goals remember to pack light.”