Deanjilo Platt-Friday Class of 2011

Interview by Aneara Burns. Photo courtesy of Where Is The Buzz.

Collegiate pushes all its students to consider college as the standard, and this did not go over Deanjillo Platt-Friday’s head. The Posse Scholar and journalism professional wants to inspire all students to reach for the stars and follow their dreams. I had the pleasure of talking to Platt-Friday about his time at Collegiate, his college experience and his career.

Aneara: What college did you attend and what was your major?

Deanjilo: I went to Pepperdine University as a Posse Scholar. I majored in broadcast journalism and minored in business.

Aneara: How did being a Posse Scholar help you succeed in college?

Deanjilo: I wouldn't have graduated college without Posse. Just the fact that I had people who were my support system when I got there who were also from DC. Pepperdine is in Malibu, California, which is a beautiful place, but it's also pretty much the opposite of DC. We had a mentor on campus, and that just helped me when I was feeling ashamed about struggling with my grades, especially my freshman year. Just having people to correct me or be my support system, so that I could figure out what I needed to do to succeed.  

Aneara: What were some struggles you faced while in college?

Deanjilo: Financial struggles, educational struggles. School was hard because I feel like for me, at least, at Collegiate I had to put my attention towards only one or two classes. But in college everything required a lot of attention, and it was really hard for me to concentrate, because I was stressed all the time. It was hard to balance the finances and the school responsibilities with the social life. And it's all on your terms, so it was just an introduction into adulthood for me. 

Aneara: Tell me about your career path after graduation. What was it like? 

Deanjilo: I’m a freelance TV producer and TV host. When I first graduated college I was a producer for the NFL and that was a dope experience. That just got my career going forward in a really good way. But when the pandemic started, I started freelancing, which is kind of like, bouncing from project to project. Along the way, I've been able to post interviews, for instance if somebody's on a press junket, or do podcasts and stuff like that.

Aneara: What is one lesson that Collegiate taught you?

Deanjilo: I would say that logic taught me that there's more to the world than what I see within the DMV. I think Collegiate exposed me to what was out there to see and learn. Through college tours and just introducing us to different things, they always made sure that college was the standard. 

Aneara: What advice would you give to the Class of 2023?

Deanjilo: I would say set a vision. Whatever vision you set for your life, make it extreme, even if it scares you. If you want to be a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, or if you want to be an owner of a football team, just shoot for the moon, and then protect your vision. Don't let anyone ever tell you that you can't accomplish it, because you can. Explicitly set a vision for your life, shoot for the moon, and then protect that vision from haters.

Aneara Burns is a sophomore at Arizona State University.