For Oakland University alumna Shelby Tankersley, The Oakland Post was more than just a newsroom. The experience shaped leadership skills, professional confidence and a long-term commitment to storytelling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tankersley joined The Oakland Post as a reporter and remained involved all four years at Oakland University. <\/p>\n
Responsibilities expanded into editing, photography and page design before eventually serving as Editor-in-Chief.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was very lucky to have access to student editors who were willing to let me learn and try new things,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Although hired as a reporter, Tankersley said the newsroom encouraged exploration across roles. Exposure to multiple disciplines built confidence and revealed new interests, including photography.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing at the Post for all four years of college taught me the value of helping others and investing time in your peers and people younger than you,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The newsroom environment became central to Tankersley\u2019s college experience. Beyond deadlines, the space served as a gathering place for collaboration, studying and creative discussion.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe newsroom became my favorite place on campus and was somewhere I made a lot of friends,\u201d Tankersley said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As Editor-in-Chief, Tankersley valued late production nights spent finalizing pages alongside editors and copy staff. Shared responsibility and teamwork created a close-knit culture that extended beyond publication day.<\/p>\n
Tankersley emphasized the importance of student journalism in maintaining accountability on campus. Independent reporting allows students to track spending, question decision-makers and provide oversight of university leadership.<\/p>\n
\u201cOversight of authority and government bodies is so important, and the Post is able to provide that as an independent news source,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The hands-on experience also prepares students for professional environments in ways traditional classrooms cannot replicate. Real deadlines and editorial decisions mirror newsroom pressure beyond campus.<\/p>\n
Serving as Editor-in-Chief required leadership beyond writing and editing. Managing between 30 and 40 students demanded adaptability, communication and patience.<\/p>\n
\u201cI learned very quickly that EIC is just as much of a people\u2019s job as it is a journalism job,\u201d Tankersley said.<\/p>\n
Tankersley said leading watchdog reporting required courage. Early encounters with criticism from readers and administrators proved intimidating but ultimately strengthened resilience.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut when I became a professional, I was so incredibly grateful to have had those first experiences as a student with an advisor and a team of peers around me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Skills developed at The Oakland Post continue to influence professional work today.\u00a0Critical thinking, thoughtful questioning and the ability to adapt quickly remain central to daily responsibilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cJournalists develop a lot of soft skills that benefit you in any career,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Tankersley now serves as the Communication and Content Specialist for PACE Southeast Michigan, a nonprofit providing all-inclusive healthcare to low-income, chronically ill seniors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI still tell stories every day, and working for a nonprofit that serves the community scratches the itch that my inner journalist will always have to do something good with my time,\u201d Tankersley said.<\/p>\n
Tankersley encouraged current Post staff members to explore multiple roles and embrace the opportunity. Experimentation, Tankersley said, allows students to discover strengths early.<\/p>\n
\u201cTry as much as you can,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Tankersley also advised Oakland University students considering student media to view the newsroom as hands-on preparation for future careers.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo journalism students, I\u2019d say the Post is the best \u2018class\u2019 they could take.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reflecting on time at The Oakland Post, Tankersley described the experience as both formative and memorable. Lessons learned in the newsroom continue to shape leadership style and professional direction.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the best learning experience you can get as a student reporter, and it\u2019s also a ton of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For Oakland University alumna Shelby Tankersley, The Oakland Post was more than just a newsroom. The experience shaped…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":216288,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[143,145,144],"class_list":["post-216287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216287","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=216287"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216287\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/216288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=216287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=216287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=216287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}