This article was written by Noreen Premji
When graduating senior Kylia Berry held a camera in her hand on her first day at the School of Journalism and Media (J&M), she knew she had found her calling.
Growing up in Seymour, Tennessee, Kylia always dreamed she would one day call Rocky Top home. She spent her childhood cheering on the Vols at football games and visiting her mother at work on campus. Becoming a Vol – and being a proud first-generation college student – was always her goal. But she didn’t know that path would ultimately lead her to discover her life’s passion.
During her time as a journalism student, Kylia took advantage of every opportunity to gain hands-on experience and kickstart her career in news. As a freshman, she joined The Daily Beacon as a videographer and began working with The Volunteer Channel (TVC) as a reporter. Berry interned at local news outlets WBIR-TV and WVLT and pursued opportunities to take her education outside the classroom—both nationally and internationally. During her undergraduate years, she traveled with the College of Communication and Information to Memphis, Nashville, Mississippi, Nevada, Washington, DC, New York City, and most notably, Paris, where she covered the 2024 Paralympic Games.
Berry was one of nine undergraduate students who joined professors Erin Whiteside and Nick Geidner to produce multimedia coverage of the games to share with the USA TODAY Network.
“I was a 21-year-old student journalist sitting next to journalists from all across the country,” Berry said. “The opportunity to work alongside USA TODAY Sports as a student journalist was nothing short of remarkable. These memories are engraved in my time here at the University of Tennessee. It has shaped me into who I am today.”
She credits opportunities like these to the support she received from faculty and mentors including Professor Erin Whiteside, Assistant Professor of Practice Brittany Tarwater, Professor Nick Geidner, Professor of Practice Michael Martinez, and PhD student Aman Misra.
Berry’s passion for storytelling is fueled by her commitment to inform, advocate, and inspire change within her community. During the spring semester of 2025, she produced a broadcast segment addressing the opioid crisis in East Tennessee titled “Voices of Recovery.” The segment highlighted individuals who have lost loved ones to opioid misuse or are currently struggling with addiction, emphasizing the importance of sharing their stories to increase awareness about the issue. Berry was recently notified by the Metro Drug Coalition in Knoxville that she is a finalist for the organization’s Community Champion Award.
For Berry, graduating this December is not the end of a chapter but the beginning of her journalism career as she leaves a lasting legacy on the J&M program and its students.
One of the many legacies she leaves behind is her tenure with The Volunteer Channel (TVC). Berry is the longest-serving TVC member, working her way from reporter to managing editor, and watching the show grow from YouTube to having a home as a live broadcast every Friday on WVLT’s CW channel.
“As the longest-serving TVC member, I have had the opportunity to witness the program’s tremendous transformation, and being part of this change greatly contributes to my legacy,” Berry said. “As I walk across the stage on Friday, December 12, I’m confident that I have given my all and left nothing on the table.”
Upon graduation she will pursue a master’s degree in mass communication and hopes to work in a newsroom. Her goal is to gain more experience and serve communities through storytelling as a multimedia journalist in East Tennessee.
“If I could give my younger self at UT, as a freshman, advice, it would be to always say yes to everything and to know that, just because you are a first-generation student, does not mean you cannot pursue an education in journalism and media,” Berry said.