Alumni Spotlight - Sharda James 

A&M Texarkana Alumna and Texarkana native Sharda James remembers watching the Oprah Winfrey Show with her mother growing up, fascinated by how Oprah conducted interviews. “I thought, ‘How does this lady do this? How does she have deep conversations with strangers? How does she make them cry?’ I’ve always been fascinated with people and their minds and how they think, why they act the way they act, and why they do what they do. So, it made sense when I decided to do this.”

As a first-generation college student, Sharda knew she wanted to stay close to her hometown to pursue a bachelor’s degree. “I just knew I was going to stay here, because I didn’t want to leave. So, A&M Texarkana just worked out for me really well.”

Choosing A&M Texarkana led to pursuing her dream of being like Oprah as a mass communication major. “I remember I was in a news writing class, and I shared with my classmates that I wanted to be the next Oprah. Casey Roberts, who used to work for the University, commented and said, ‘I think you can do it. I know you can do it.’ That is something that has stuck with me my entire career.”

In that same news writing class with Professor Dr. Kevin Ells, Sharda went to the Randy Sams Shelter in Texarkana to interview two people for an assignment. During the interviews, Sharda experienced two grown men, strangers, crying and sharing about their life. “I just knew right then this was what I was supposed to do. I remember telling Dr. Ells about it. He was the one that really saw this thing in me. I felt it in that moment interviewing…I felt like Oprah. I knew this field was going to be for me.”

On one of her Christmas Breaks, Sharda drove to Shreveport, LA to KTBS 3 News to shadow one of the anchors. “It was another one of those moments that I knew this is what I’m supposed to do.”

As a student, Sharda would strike up conversations with staff, security officers, and custodians, developing relationships with many people on campus. “It was much more than just my professors. It was literally every person, so many people that make A&M Texarkana, A&M Texarkana. It felt like a community.”

Sharda’s mother has an expression she’s shared with her throughout her life: “When you’re doing your best, you’re doing good.” Sharda knows this phrase to be true, experiencing it from both sides of the coin, when she’s giving her absolute best and when she lost focus and began skipping classes her last semester. “I received a 67. I remember being so upset and wishing Dr. Ells had given me those extra three points, but I knew he couldn’t because I didn’t deserve it. I had to do an independent study with him that next semester. I was the only undergrad in his master’s class. It really taught me that when you don’t do your best, you’re not doing good and there’s consequences.”

Today, Sharda carries that lesson learned into her professional career as the business reporter for the Texarkana Gazette knowing firsthand, “when you’re doing your best, you’re doing good.” “My first year in my career, I was so driven and so excited to be a reporter. I was 15 minutes early for every interview and was always so prepared and it served me well. And through that, when the community can rely on you, they can trust you, and you’re dependable. It’s so important to be genuine and truly be a humble person. Giving it my all and giving my best, that’s how you earn the trust of the community.”

Some of her favorite and most memorable interviews have been with subjects that didn’t often accept interviews.

“Cobi Hamilton graduated from Texas High, played college football and in the NFL, and is now a cattleman. I remember I pitched that story and they said, ‘I don’t know, Sharda. He doesn’t do interviews.’ And he reached back out and did the interview with me.”

Sharda also received the opportunity to interview Gospel Singer and Recording Artist CeCe Winans twice. “It was another one I didn’t think I was going to get, because I was told by her team that she wasn’t doing interviews. It just so happened that my email landed with her assistant, and she said CeCe would do the interview. We did the interview, they gave me tickets, and I got the opportunity to meet her. When I interviewed her again, I reintroduced myself, and she said, ‘I remember who you are.’ I think some of my proudest moments are getting the interviews that people said, ‘Oh, that’s really hard to get.’”

Yet, the interviews with people in the community continue to be some of her favorites. “It’s not just the big interviews. It’s interviewing everyday people and making them feel seen. If you make them feel seen, make them feel heard, make them know that their existence means something to someone…that’s how you build the trust, especially when you’re genuine.”

As a Texarkana Gazette reporter and A&M Texarkana alumna, Sharda has also had the opportunity to cover University news. “It’s so surreal when I come back to campus and get to cover certain stories. I covered when President Dr. Ross Alexander first came. To cover these stories, as an alumna and once a student and for the University to trust my voice and trust my presence to cover these stories. It’s so surreal to be able to come back and cover this campus, the same campus I once walked. I am honored and am grateful to continue to build those relationships here with the faculty, staff, and students at A&M Texarkana.”