Lifestyle | April 19th, 2025

JUST ONE MO MINUTE

By: Jermaine Edwards

Meet Monique A. Mitchell, a Public relations pro, Media influencer, and third-generation Florida A&M University (FAMU) Rattler. She has worked in public relations and communications for almost fifteen years with notable companies such as NBCUniversal Inc., CNN, Cartoon Network, and Warner Bros. Discovery, launching her to become the skilled strategist and storyteller she is today. Hailing from Miami Beach, FL, Mitchell graduated from FAMU in 2010 with a degree in broadcast journalism with two minors in marketing and religion. 

Following graduation, Mitchell moved to New York City, NY, to join the NBCUniversal Page Program, a rotational and development program that helps college graduate students get media entertainment industry exposure. Not only was the NBCUniversal Page Program her first to start public relations, but Mitchell was also the first person from FAMU to be a part of the page program. Mitchell’s exposure to the Page Program in New York allowed her “to experience more possibilities with her broadcast journalism degree,” leading to work with television shows like “Saturday Night Live,” and “30 Rock”, and networks like Oxygen and NBC News. 

Mitchell defines herself as a “Jill of all trades,” featured in Essence Magazine, HBCU Buzz’s “Top 30 Under 30,” and a 2024 FAMU 40 Under 40 Award recipient, continuing to shine as a J-School superstar. Mitchell discussed what more we can expect from her, any advice to current rattlers, and how being a Florida A&M University alum has benefited her.   

During your undergraduate years, what has FAMU taught you? 

“The question is, what hasn’t FAMU taught me,” Mitchell said. “Just like resilience, and if life knocks you down 9 times, you got to get up on that 10th time, because the 10th time could be the time that you need to like really shine and really make it. Failing at FAMU and different aspects just made me hungry. It made me resilient. It made me unbreakable, and that’s what FAMU taught me when I think about my career now. Lastly, never get too tied to a dream or vision because it can change, but it’ll always change for the better.” 

How did it feel to receive the FAMU 40 Under 40 award and be recognized by your fellow Rattlers?  

“So, I’m always a planner. I’m like, okay, I always have a checklist. I’m going to do this, and then I’m going to move forward, okay, sometimes I don’t always bask in the things I’ve done,” Mitchell said. “It just made me reflect on being that, you know, even that girl in high school, you know, going to a predominately white school, and hearing, oh, I’m going to UF, I’m going to Florida State. I’m the only one that’s like, oh, I’m going to FAMU. I was the only one, and I ended up, you know, influencing other kids who were part of that program to go to FAMU, too. So, I think about that little girl who was like, I’m going to FAMU and seeing the legacies that people around me created and thinking about who I was then and what it took to get to what I am now. It was very rewarding and fulfilling because it’s like, wow, you haven’t even done everything you said you would do yet. But the things that you have done are iconic.”

What is next for Monique A. Mitchell? 

“I just know, in this season, I’m just really trusting God. My faith is so stirred up. I’ve seen God do some things, even what I’m doing professionally now. I had no idea what this was like, even in God’s plan for my life, and so when I say whatever is next for me is whatever God has for me, I mean honestly, that’s what it is.”