Nia Parker-Robinson was an integral part of the UNC volleyball team’s 11-0 start to the season. The graduate transfer currently leads the Tar Heels in kills and points. But Parker-Robinson’s public persona goes beyond the volleyball court. She currently reports for Carolina Connection, the weekly student radio broadcast put on by the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media. To listen to some of her work, click here.
Before transferring to Carolina, Parker-Robinson was a student at another prestigious journalism school: Northwestern University in Illinois. Parker-Robinson told 97.9 the Hill she originally started on a medical school track, but with the encouragement of an advisor, made the switch to journalism.
“I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do,” Parker-Robinson said. “But [my advisor] told me to look at the courses of every major, and just kind of highlight the ones [I was] interested in. And then when I looked back, the most ones that were highlighted were in the journalism school. And they were like, documentary film, producing, podcasting, digital storytelling and all of these things.”
When she made the decision to transfer from Northwestern, Parker-Robinson prioritized a good journalism school, but also an institution with a diverse array of courses. Now that she’s landed at UNC, Parker-Robinson said the experience of reporting in Chapel Hill is a much easier one than trying to do so in Northwestern’s home city.
“I was in the midst of Chicago, and no one really wanted to talk to me, compared to talking to someone from the Chicago Tribune,” she said. “So it’s been really nice, being able to get out and get interviews, and [having] people actually caring to talk to me.”
Parker-Robinson’s focus in her graduate studies is documentary filmmaking and video production. She said one of her biggest motivating factors for doing journalistic work is telling the stories of those who don’t have the chance to do so themselves.
“There’s a lot of marginalized groups out there that don’t get to tell their story, or they don’t trust people telling their story,” she said. “And I want to be an ally for them. I want to be like, ‘Hey, I want to use my platform to share your voice. I don’t want to take your story from you, I don’t want anything. But I want you to get your story out there so people know what’s going on.'”
Her professional goals do include volleyball, but Parker-Robinson said she has plenty of plans for her post-playing days: not only documentary filmmaking, but also hosting a talk show and producing videos for ESPN.
Between pursuing all of those accomplishments, playing Division I athletics and working toward her graduate degree, Parker-Robinson’s schedule is about as busy as any student’s on campus. But she says with both the volleyball team and the journalism school, help is always available to those who need it.
“As a student-athlete, we’re used to working with teams. We’re used to working on projects,” Parker-Robinson said. “So, I have no shame in needing help from others, or needing a classmate to work on a project. And I think the J-School’s really great at that. We’re a team, and we’re all working for the same end goal. So it’s almost like I’m on two teams.”
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