When Dalvin Brown graduated from Meridian High School in 2011, he planned on working in New York City’s fashion industry.
He made it to New York, but found a career in journalism instead.

“I think my 18-year-old self graduating from Meridian High would be really proud of some of the things I’ve done,” said Brown, 28. “But there is so much more.”

Brown began his new job as an innovations reporter at the Washington Post on Nov. 9. The role allows him to explore new products and services as well as emerging technologies that may impact lives at home and work. Brown previously worked at USA Today, where he covered business and technology.

Brown studied at Jackson State University and received his bachelor’s degree from the City University of New York’s Baruch College with a focus on business journalism. He’s working on a master’s degree in business and economics reporting at CUNY’s Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, where he is a recipient of the Knight Newmark J-School fellowship and an Ida B. Wells Scholar. He plans to graduate in December.

Growing up, Brown found inspiration from watching Oprah Winfrey’s television show. Her success, he said, inspired him to look beyond Meridian and Mississippi.

“I always believed if you follow your dreams and don’t give up, that it’s going to work out,” said Brown, who became interested in business reporting because he wondered how people acquire wealth.

The best part of being a journalist is having the opportunity to tell people’s stories, he said.

“I’ve always sort of been in love with hearing people’s stories, hearing people’s testimony,” he said. “And being an outlet for that and helping people give out that information,” he said.

His success has not only inspired his younger siblings, but other young people in Meridian, said his mother Latora Brown.

“When they see this younger guy, they say ‘Oh – there are other things we can do besides rap and play sports’,” she said. “We can be a journalist or a model or we can design clothes…stuff they don’t see coming from a young Black male.”

Looking ahead, Brown hopes to write a book and in the long term, become an editor.

“I would tell people to dream further than you can ever see and you can achieve that,” he said. “If you can picture yourself doing that, then you can do it… I’m going to ride this journalism wave as long as can.”