![\"Jefferey](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1024x768_IMGEHoodESPN.gif\" "\\"Jefferey")
Jefferey Hood Jr. stuck to the path, which led him to ESPN. (Photo by Christian Whitaker\/FAMU)<\/p>\nWhen Jefferey Hood Jr. was in seventh grade, his teacher, Peggy Davenport, asked him to write down what
\n he wanted to\u00a0major in\u00a0once he got to college. Hood knew he wanted to pursue a career
\n in sports, but he\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0know the exact path to take. With Davenport\u2019s guidance and
\n motivation, he began mapping out a plan \u2014 a plan that would require sacrifices and
\n relentless determination to fulfill.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Today, Davenport would be proud.\u00a0On Dec. 12,\u00a0Hood\u00a0graduated\u00a0summa cum laude, the highest
\n honors given to students, from Florida A&M University\u2019s School of Journalism & Graphic
\n Communication (FAMU SJGC) with a bachelor\u2019s degree in journalism.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Soon\u00a0he will walk through the doors of ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut,
\n as a full-time production assistant \u2014 putting him one step closer to\u00a0fulfilling\u00a0his
\n ultimate goals: becoming an ESPN show producer, producing live sporting events at
\n major networks, and developing content for professional sports organizations like
\n the NBA and NFL.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had some\u00a0high goals\u00a0that we wanted to achieve. We did it. We beat the odds and
\n made the sacrifices that people\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0understand to get to this point today,\u201d Hood
\n said when asked what he would tell his seventh-grade self.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The odds and sacrifices he speaks of include overcoming\u00a0self-esteem issues\u00a0and trading\u00a0his
\n nights as a college student for long hours in sound booths, production bays, and writing
\n labs to\u00a0perfect his skills\u00a0and build his confidence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
From Transfer Student to Transformational Leader\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hood, a\u00a0White Plains, Maryland native by way of Fayetteville, Georgia,\u00a0transferred from the University of Alabama and battled imposter syndrome when he first
\n arrived at FAMU.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI came into SJGC alongside so many talented journalists already making an impact.
\n It made me question myself and my abilities,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat helped me overcome it
\n was reminding myself of my purpose, trusting my work ethic,\u00a0and leaning on my support
\n system. It taught me resilience.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Despite initial doubts, including wondering if he was in the right\u00a0program, Hood decided
\n to take a leap of faith, leaning on his belief in the Lord\u2019s ability to help him in
\n his time of need and trusting in SJGC\u2019s promise of hands-on opportunities that would
\n prepare him to succeed, lead,\u00a0and impact others.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I\u00a0met (SJGC)\u00a0Dean Mira Lowe and shared my goals, she told me confidently that I could accomplish all of them
\n right here,\u201d he said. \u201cI felt that family energy and knew SJGC was where I needed
\n to be.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jefferey Hood Jr. stuck to the path, which led him to ESPN. (Photo by Christian Whitaker\/FAMU)<\/p>\n
Hood set ambitious goals\u00a0for his academic\u00a0path and wrote a\u00a0list of to-do items\u00a0to\u00a0accomplish.
\n He\u00a0achieved them all. After only about a year as an SJGC student, he had the opportunity
\n to intern with HBCU GO, a destination for Black college sports and culture. He went
\n on to serve as sports director for campus\u00a0radio\u00a0station WANM-FM 90.5, as an associate
\n producer for FAMU TV-20, and as sports editor for the student newspaper,\u00a0The FAMUAN.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u00a0also served as\u00a0producer for\u00a0one of FAMU\u2019s most popular on-campus radio shows and
\n podcasts, \u201cThe Playmakers,\u201d where he and his colleagues interviewed and discussed
\n high-profile athletes and\u00a0personalities, as\u00a0well\u00a0as FAMU\u00a0athletes and coaches, and
\n transformed the platform\u2019s social media presence into a sports hub.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLearning media leadership mattered to me because I wanted to sharpen skills that
\n transfer directly into the industry. Managing multiple roles taught me time management
\n and discipline,\u201d he said\u00a0about wearing so many hats.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Big Dreams Become Big Doors\u00a0<\/p>\n
Those experiences opened doors to coveted opportunities. Hood was selected as a production
\n intern at ESPN for the spring of 2024 and served as a 2025 NBA-HBCU Fellow with the
\n Sacramento Kings social media team this past summer. He was one of only 73 HBCU students\u00a0selected
\n by the NBA Foundation\u00a0from 8,000 applicants.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore these opportunities, I wanted to be a beat writer,\u201d Hood said. \u201cBut working
\n at ESPN and with the Kings opened my eyes to visual storytelling. I realized my passion
\n lies in telling stories visually and creatively.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Jefferey](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1024x768_JeffereyHoodJr.jpg\" "\\"Jefferey")
Jefferey Hood Jr., could not contain his enthusiasm for snagging his 2025 NBA-HBCU
\n Fellowship. (Photo special to FAMU)<\/p>\n
Now that the\u00a0plan\u00a0he and Davenport designed is coming to life, Hood\u00a0is committed to
\n paying\u00a0it forward, encouraging others to see\u00a0the possibilities of their\u00a0own\u00a0futures,
\n just like she did for him.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMentorship played a huge part in my development. My dad always told me\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0not about
\n what you know,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0about who you know,\u201d\u00a0said Hood, whose\u00a0own\u00a0mentorship\u00a0duties include
\n leading by example for his sister,\u00a0Logan Hood, a third-year\u00a0political science\u00a0major\u00a0here at FAMU.\u202f\u201cI plan to be an accessible resource for future SJGC students, helping them reach their
\n goals the same way others helped me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It is important to Hood to ensure that the next generation of SJGC scholars\u00a0and sports
\n media dreamers\u00a0understand\u00a0that some of the people who will help them realize their\u00a0potential\u00a0are
\n not just those they aspire to be like, but the people they see and connect with every
\n day: family, classmates,\u00a0and instructors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although he credits NBA star LeBron James; the late sideline reporter Craig Sager; sportswriter D. Orlando Ledbetter; commentator Jay Walker; and SJGC alumni Ahmad Kebe (NBA x HBCU stream host) and Malik Burgess (producer of promotional content for NBA broadcast partners) among his inspirations,
\n he also points to his father, a former NFL agent; classmates such as Terrill Smith, a senior graphic design student, and Jalen Scott, a junior journalism student (who helped him make projects like \u201cThe Playmakers\u201d
\n a success); as well as the mentors he found in his SJGC professors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Jefferey](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1024x768_IMGEHoodandFather.gif\" "\\"Jefferey")
Jefferey Hood Jr., (r) counts his dad among his inspirations for pusuing a career
\n in professional sports. (Photo by Christian Whitaker\/FAMU)<\/p>\n
\u201cJeff was one of the first students I taught at FAMU, and he\u00a0immediately\u00a0set a high
\n standard. He was a leader in the classroom, raising the bar and encouraging other
\n students to do the same,\u201d\u00a0Professor Arionne Nettles\u00a0said. \u201cNow, as his adviser at\u00a0The FAMUAN\u00a0newspaper,\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0also seen him grow as an editor,\u00a0leading the paper\u2019s sports coverage
\n and being a shining example to reporters.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0so ecstatic for this next chapter for
\n him because I know that not only will he grow as a journalist, but he will\u00a0also\u00a0truly
\n get to make new connections and reach new career heights. I\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0wait to see him
\n in a year.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As\u00a0Hood prepares to start his ESPN career, he\u00a0reflects\u00a0his\u00a0path with gratitude.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you to my family for supporting me on this non-linear journey, to my friends
\n who stood by me, and to FAMU SJGC for giving me a chance. I needed\u00a0FAMU more\u00a0than
\n FAMU needed me,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
From a seventh-grade classroom to the global stage of sports\u00a0media, Hood\u2019s\u00a0story is
\n one of perseverance, purpose,\u00a0and passion,\u00a0a blueprint for aspiring storytellers of
\n all ages.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Media Contact<\/p>\n
Rachel James-Terry
Senior Director of Strategic Communications
rachel.jamesterry@famu.edu\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n