Elizabeth Thomas smile while standing with the School of Continuing Studies entrance in the background.
Category: Student Experience

Title: Graduating Descendant of Enslaved Ancestors Clinches ABC News Reporter Job

Elizabeth Thomas smiles wearing her graduation cap and gown.

A Great Journalist

One of the journalists who taught Thomas at SCS was Georgetown alumna Angela Hill (B’95), a national investigative producer with Scripps News’ Washington Bureau.

Hill says Thomas always went the extra mile to check facts, ask additional questions and think carefully about ethical issues when they arose.

“She is a wonderful example of a young journalist who is committed to expanding her understanding of and skills in the craft,” Hill says. “I believe she will go on to do great things in the field of journalism.”

Going Far

Had The New York Times never reported on the 1838 sale of her ancestors, Thomas says she would not have thought to come to Georgetown.

Since September 2016, the university has had a policy to provide descendants the same care and attention in the admissions process as children of faculty, staff and alumni.

“An opportunity presented itself and she maximized it through her passion and determination,” Hill says of her former student. “While she is representative of the students we have at Georgetown who are smart and full of curiosity, she stands out as someone with a positive attitude and creative ideas who’s open to guidance and constantly striving to grow.”

Thomas hopes one day to become a coordinating producer or editor, “someone who is able to shape the coverage of the newsroom and can help decide what stories matter and what stories are important.”

“I think she’s going to go very far,” Hill says.