Students had the opportunity to listen to alumni Jerry “Boo” Mitchell speak about his days as an investigative reporter in Mississippi and his work that led to the arrest and conviction of Klan members for killings during the Civil Rights era.

The story hit home to many journalism students since he had been a former editor in chief of the Tiger Times.

“I now know pursuing a career in journalism is not out of reach, and his job as an investigative reporter opened my eyes to the career possibilities that I have,” sophomore Maggie Coleman said. “His experience as an investigative reporter made me want to increase my journalism experience by doing more than ‘the basics’ of writing.”

Mitchell spoke on the importance of writing the truth and exposing injustices. Senior Kelly Burnett was familiar with Mitchell’s work since he was the topic of her past independent research project.

“I did the independent research project on Boo so students could see how an alumni at Texas High was able to solve such great mysteries and influence the nation as a whole,” Burnett said. “I was very excited to see him after meeting him once as a child. Hearing his story in person was something I had always wanted to do.”