On Camera with RCSJ Alum and News Anchor Leon Purvis

Rowan College atGloucester County (now Rowan College of South Jersey) alumnus Leon Purvis,class of 2015, is busy traveling the country, intent on making his mark in theworld of journalism. A graduate of theCollege’s Arts and Sciences program, the Glassboro native has always been laserfocused when it comes to telling a story.

Looking back onhis time at Rowan College at Gloucester County, he credits Professor Keesha Patterson’sJournalism I course for opening his eyes to the world of journalism. Purvisenjoys the idea of being able to ask people as many questions as he wants – nomatter who they are – gathering the information, then delivering it for peopleto see.

“ProfessorPatterson’s journalism class really showed me the competitive nature andrigorous writing style required when writing for newspapers and magazines,”said Purvis. “The experience reallyeducated me on contending with other journalists to pitch the top or lead storyon an assigned beat, gather the information and report it. It influenced me to pursue the career I havetoday.”

In 2018, Purvisgraduated from Rowan University with Radio/Television/Film and Journalismdegrees, along with a wealth of knowledge and experiences in multimediajournalism from traveling across the country from New York to California forinternships. It was during hisinternship encounters at “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” “Good Morning America,”and NBC’s “TODAY Show,” that he began to meet leaders in the newsrooms whom hewanted to emulate.

“Meeting andlearning from Robin Roberts of ‘Good Morning America’ and Hoda Kotb of the ‘TODAYShow’ were inspirational in different ways,” said Purvis, who aspires to belike Roberts in the newsroom and recalls her as being someone with aninfectious spirt and attitude, who treated everyone equally and with respect. “Her confidence and sincerity set the tone forthe room, and acknowledging everyone – even the intern – provided me theconfidence to go further.”

Kotb also servedas a beacon of inspiration through her story, which Purvis found relatable tohis own. The veteran news anchor satdown with interns to have a conversation about the industry, explaining her journeyfrom graduating college and traveling throughout the country, to getting deniedcountless times, only to find that one yes that kick started her career. For Purvis, that yes was Redwood News inEureka, California.

Always pursuinghis next big assignment, Purvis worked as the weekend anchor/mmj, ormulti-media journalist for WDAM in Hattiesburg, Mississippi — remarkably, thesame station Roberts worked at early on in her career. After he accepted the position there,Roberts sent out a tweet acknowledging his accomplishment.

Purvis hopes tocome full circle as a journalist using his internships on “Good Morning America”and the “TODAY Show,” to eventually work where he learned his craft — onstations like ABC News, NBC News, CBS News and cable. To current RCSJ students hoping to pursue acareer in journalism, or any career in general, he offers this advice: don’ttake no for an answer.

“In this business, you will get a lot of no’s and it may get you down,but every failure serves as a learning purpose. It is up to you to learn andgrow from that opportunity,” advised Purvis. “Don’t be afraid to move away from home. After graduating, I traveled 3,000 miles cross country to get my firstyes. Rather than the short term, look atthe bigger picture and the opportunity it presents. Remember, you only need one person to believein you.”