I recently moved to the Ark-La-Tex from south Florida and haven't looked back. The friendly and patient nature of the people here is one of the first things I noticed. It has been apparent in everything from my next door neighbors knocking on my door introducing themselves and welcoming me to town, to drivers refraining from honking at me as I pump my brakes on the road, trying to determine if I missed my turn! If the warm, welcoming spirit I've experienced from the people here is any indication of what's to come, I am really going to enjoy calling the Ark-La-Tex home.
I moved here from West Palm Beach, Florida, where I was a general assignment reporter for CBS12. I was there for a little less than a year when an anchoring opportunity with KSLA News 12 presented itself. It was an opportunity I couldn't resist! Prior to working in Florida, I was a general assignment reporter for FOX2 News in St. Louis, MO. Before St. Louis, I reported for the Charlottesville Newsplex in central Virginia (the ABC, CBS and FOX affiliates), which was my first on-air job. But, I began my career in Charlotte, North Carolina working as a freelance writer and producer for NBC News Channel.
As for my educational background, I am a proud graduate of the University of North Carolina (UNC)-Chapel Hill, where I majored in journalism. I attended UNC on a four-year full track and field scholarship, and I still run in my free time. I am a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. In the past I have volunteered for elementary school reading programs, mentoring programs and educational workshops, and I look forward to doing the same in the Ark-La-Tex.
I am conversational in Spanish (my minor in college), and thanks to a course at Gallaudet University in Washington D.C., I am also mildly conversational in American Sign Language. I enjoy reading, writing poetry, snapping shots of nature with my digital camera and spending time with friends and family in my spare time.
I am the daughter (only child) of two retired U.S. Army officers, and have lived all over the country, so I really don't call one place home. I was born in Atlanta, Georgia, but growing up I lived in Indianapolis, Indiana; Dallas and Waco, Texas; Zweibruckken, Germany; Leavenworth, Kansas; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Fairfax, Virginia.
Again, I am thrilled to now be living in the Ark-La-Tex. I look forward to meeting and getting to know the community. You can catch me on KSLA News 12 This Morning from 5:00-7:00am, KSLA News 12 at 9:00am and KSLA News 12 at Noon for Coverage You Can Count On. Please feel free to send me an email with questions, comments and/or story ideas at sknowles@ksla.com.
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