Having the ability to write well is no easy task. It takes precision, a master of the human language, and the ability to maneuver words around to convey an idea to the masses. This particular gift has been bestowed upon Justus Reed. Reed, 29, is currently a staff writer for Alcorn State University but his travels to this position were at times paved with trials and tribulations.
Reed hails from the small town of Port Gibson, Mississippi. His parents Domonic Reed Sr., who is a jailer at the Sheriff’s Department in Port Gibson and Shirley Reed, who is a cook at Richardson Head Start Center is Port Gibson, raised their four children, Casandra, LaShanyna, Domonic Jr., and Justus to be prominent and productive members of society. Reed stated, “My parents are my biggest influence because they taught us to be good children and my dad taught me all of the essential qualities of how to be a man.” Not only is Reed family oriented but he is also a religious man who is a proud member of Rising Son Missionary Baptist Church in Port Gibson.
Another outstanding quality of Reed is his eagerness towards education. He is a 2005 graduate of Port Gibson High School. While in high school he was not only an academic individual but he wanted to be well rounded as well which led him to sports. He deemed himself somewhat of an athlete as he participated in recreational basketball which honed his skills to almost superior levels. After high school there was no doubt in Reed’s mind where he would be attending college. He chose Alcorn State University because, “it was close to home, a family tradition, great things were said about the institution by word of mouth and just growing up around the university my entire life made me want to attend it.”
While enrolled at Alcorn Reed chose Mass Communications as his major. He stated, ” I chose this field because I love to write and I had more freedom to go out and speak with individuals and get to know them and fashion a story the way I wanted to.” During his duration within the major Reed worked for Alcorn’s newspaper The Campus Chronicle as a staff writer which increased his knowledge of the field he had chosen to be in. “My instructors within my department, Dr. Jerry Domatob, Larry Sanders and Curtis Aaron taught me how to write, how to think outside of the box, and how to go out and get stories,” says Reed.
Reed graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications but the road ahead for him was rocky, to say the least, as he payed his dues to achieve greatness. He continued with the job he held throughout college which was at Walmart until 2012 while he searched for other positions within the Mass Communicaions field. He then attained a position at the Port Gibson Courthouse as a Deputy Clerk in the latter part of 2012 and from there in 2013 he got his first job in Mass Communications at the Vicksburg Post as a staff writer. After leaving the Post and with much prayer and perseverance Reed accepted a position as a staff writer at Alcorn State University in 2014.
Reed will admit that getting to his current position was no easy task. His words of wisdom to any student entering the Mass Communications field would be to, “work on your writing skills because it’s essentials to your success, be on time for all scheduled events, and don’t just be a one trick pony, master all elements of the field.” Reed has indeed proven himself to be a valuable asset within the area of Mass Communications and his future looks overwhelmingly bright.