By Rachael Jordan
COLUMBUS, Miss. (Take 30 News)--- Aliceville High School in Aliceville, Alabama recognized Aundrea Self along with ten other women as African American Influential Women in the community at a Black History Month program on Thursday, February 13th. Self was born and raised in Starkville. She is the anchor of WCBI News and has been there for the last two decades.
“I started reporting and anchoring in 2000,” Self said.
Self said that her life outside of the news is mostly family, but she likes to stay active in Oktibbeha County communities.
“First and foremost being a mother to my 10-year-old and a wife but I also spend a lot of time in community service organizations I’m active with my sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. I also sit on a couple of boards, so I try to keep myself busy doing things in Starkville. I grew up in Starkville so it’s not hard for me to find things-to do things that enhance the community. It’s a community that I grew up in, its one that I love so I enjoy being in different organizations that serve the Starkville community and Oktibbeha County,” Self said.
Self is also a part-time instructor at Mississippi State University for Broadcast Performance. Self says she stays so busy in order to be a positive role model for her daughter and for other young girls like her.
“I want to make an impact. I want to be influential, I mean to all people, but particularly to African American young girls who often don’t see positive representation of themselves in the media,” Self said.
Ava Richardson, one of Self’s students at MSU, said Self is an inspiration to her and she was not surprised when Self won an award honoring African American women.
“When I was sitting in the classroom and she first walked in I was like ‘oh okay that’s someone who looks like me!’ I truly do think that Mrs. Self deserves an award like that. Me personally, being an African American young woman, she is so inspiration to me,” Richardson said.
Self said that being an inspiration to all people is a goal she strives to meet and is humbled by the award. Her motivators are her daughter and her faith, and she encourages all people to be what they want to be, despite their color.
“I want people to understand young people who come from small communities that you know where you come from is not the end point for you. Do what you want to do. If you say you can do it, you can,” Self said.
Self can be seen on WCBI reporting the news at 5pm and 6pm, along with weekdays at 9am on Mid-Morning With Aundrea.