FAMU Made: Kaylin Jean-Louis Secured Her Future Before the Cap and Gown
By the time most students are figuring out their major, Kaylin Jean-Louis had already been an on-air radio personality.
A broadcast journalism scholar with a quiet confidence, Jean-Louis isn’t just graduating from Florida A&M University this Saturday. She’s stepping into a full-time role at Bloomberg, with a one-way ticket to New York and a portfolio that reads like someone who’s been in the game far longer than her 20 years.
“I feel excited. I mean, it's a bittersweet moment graduation-wise, obviously, because I feel like my time has gone by so quickly,” she said.
Before New York came calling, Jean Louis’s story started with a microphone and an outlet.
“I started podcasting in seventh or eighth grade,” she said. “It was just me reading quotes at first… and then it turned into ‘Inspiring Moments with Kaylin.’”
Podcasting was the tool that helped her navigate her parents’ divorce, but then it became something more.
By her junior year of high school, she had her own radio show on a local station. No formal training. No blueprint. Just natural talent paired with intention. Even her path to FAMU was deliberate.
“I got my associate’s degree from Tallahassee State College while I was in high school. I was dual enrolled, so I knew that I only had two years remaining,” she said.
Graduating senior Kaylin Jean-Louis said she would not be as multifacted as she is
without The School of Journalism and Graphic Design. (Photo special to FAMU)
Despite being accepted into Florida State University and Spelman College, Jean-Louis made the strategic decision to stay in her hometown of Tallahassee and avoid college debt. More importantly, she chose where she would receive the education that matched her vision.
“I felt like FAMU had the most well-rounded journalism program,” she said.
Through the School of Journalism & Graphic Communications, she didn’t just learn how to report. She learned how to translate stories across platforms. Radio. Broadcast. Print. Visual storytelling. Photography. Film.
“They definitely gave me a holistic experience,” she said. “Starting from the curriculum, which challenges us to try things outside our comfort zone.”
While Jean-Louis entered FAMU with a strong foundation in radio, the program expanded her scope. Through a range of courses, she said the curriculum “gives you a different look at another side of storytelling”
That hands-on, multimedia approach prepared her to be versatile in the field. “It has allowed me to not just be ready to go into the anchor world, or ready to be sitting and writing for print, but I can do it all,” she explained.
Instructor for Digital Journalism Arionne Nettles describes Jean-Louis as a rare gem who is a natural at everything but still works extremely hard to always put her best foot forward in every endeavor.
“Whether it’s reporting a written news story or interviewing someone live on the radio, she’s always prepared. Her work ethic rivals that of seasoned journalists, and it’s a contagious energy felt throughout SJGC. It’s such a beautiful sight, and her future is just extremely bright,” said Nettles, who is also Garth C. Reeves Eminent Scholar Chair.
Now, Jean-Louis can maneuver multiple mediums with ease. “I write for news, I can do broadcasts in front of the camera and behind the camera,” she said. “I’m a really big visual storyteller… and of course, radio’s always been my first love.”
That versatility didn’t just stay in the classroom; she quickly leveraged it into a real-world opportunity when she found herself tapped as an HBCU Spotlight Ambassador for Essence Magazine during FAMU’s 2024 Homecoming.
“They gave me free rein to create a video where I got to highlight and showcase what our FAMU experience looks like in my own creative way,” she explained.
The result was a reel capturing the pulse of FAMU’s culture, from pep rallies to the comedy show, pulling in over 500,000 views.
“That experience reaffirmed that I could do this media thing,” said Jean-Louis, implying that it was more than just content. It was confirmation.
That confirmation became a turning point. She first encountered Bloomberg at FAMU’s career fair, a space that does not always include many media organizations. Still, Jean-Louis kept her eye on the company, circling back her junior year to apply and ultimately land an internship.
She spent 10 weeks as a news and media intern, quickly setting herself apart by leaning into her versatility. “I actually was the only intern out of the cohort that got to work with TV,” she said, noting that most of her peers were placed on print desks.
During her 10-week internship, Kaylin Jean-Louis had the opportunity to meet Michael
Rubens Bloomberg, the majority owner and co-founder of Bloomberg L.P. (Photo special
to FAMU)
By the end of the internship, Jean-Louis had gained hands-on experience across platforms, spending time in print, radio, and content production. “I tried to touch as many points as I could,” she said, building relationships through what Bloomberg calls “coffee chats.”
Headed into her senior year, Jean Louis applied to be a rotational reporter. In August 2025, she received an email followed by a Zoom call.
“I remember freezing on the screen… I didn’t feel like it was real,” she said.
But the reality quickly set in once the call ended. “I’m just in my room, running around, like, ‘Oh my gosh, I got a job!’” she recalled.
The offer carried deeper meaning, especially given the pressure she placed on herself as a transfer student. “My biggest fear… was that I would not walk out with a job,” she said, noting she worried about having fewer opportunities because of her shortened time in college.
The moment was both relief and reward. “I’ve been busting my behind every day… to get an internship and get a job,” she said. “To hear that I got a job… I was just very, very happy.”
In a matter of days, Jean-Louis will trade the familiarity of Tallahassee for the rhythm of New York City.
She describes it as freeing. A place where she can be both seen and anonymous.
“I've always wanted to know what it's like to live in the big city, and to be able to go to this place, and you could be in one place and meet this person, and then you'd be somewhere else, and it's like a whole vibe… it feels like a movie,” she said. “And I just fell in love with how open it was."
Now, when it’s all said and down, Jean-Louis does not hesitate to finish the sentence: Because of FAMU…
“Because of FAMU, I’m victorious,” she said, then smiles widely.
School of Journalism graduate Kaylin Jean-Louis said that a lot of people in the job
force have told her: "I can tell when somebody graduated from FAMU because you all
are built to a higher standard." (Photo special to FAMU)
