Article by Vrydon. Photo by Aaliyah Demry.
While some kids dream of being astronauts or fictional creatures, Aaliyah Demry always knew she wanted to be a journalist. Demry graduated in the spring semester of 2024. Before leaving St. Cloud State University she was part of numerous clubs on campus, which helped her secure internships, an Eric Sevareid award, and a 2024 Student Production Award nomination.
Demry said her earliest memory of wanting to be a journalist came after pretending to be a DJ for her elementary school’s talent show after years of being denied a position in the line-up.
“The crowd went crazy, and after that, my dad told me that’s what journalists do and I knew I wanted to be a journalist,” Demry explained.
Demry’s path to being a multimedia journalist for KTTC News in Rochester, Minn. has been difficult. Demry was born in Minneapolis and was raised in Shakopee, Minn. She is the middle child between her two siblings. After her parents divorced, she divided her time between North Minneapolis and Shakopee. Demry contributes her time spent between the two cities, learning different cultures and perspectives by seeing the full spectrum of the hardships of North Minneapolis and the suburban life of Shakopee.
Demry gave insight about how her time in Shakopee helped her succeed at a predominantly white institution, “I already experienced working alongside people who do not look like me, but I feel like I was excited for college because I was going to be around people with the same interests as me.”
Demry graduated high school in 2020 after taking PSEO classes at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. After a challenging semester, she decided to take a semester break in the fall, then she transferred to St. Cloud State University.
Before deciding on St. Cloud State University, Demry researched, applied and was accepted to different colleges. She decided on St. Cloud State because it was the most affordable and she fell in love with the Mass Communication program and the in-school television studios.
“I fell in love with the studio, like I had seen the studio on the website. I looked at UTVS [University Television Station] and saw all of that and I was like, yeah, that’s going to be me.”
Demry was not hesitant to comment on her skepticism of attending St. Cloud State. Even though she grew up in a predominantly white area she felt alienated by her peers and professors in her major since there weren’t many Black journalists.
“It [St. Cloud State University] doesn’t have many people that look like me or come from my background,” Demry confessed.
Demry credits Angie Witte in the Multicultural Student Services and Professor Kahar Cainion of the Mass Communication department for helping through her time at St. Cloud State.
“She [Witte] was always there for me, and I feel like she believed in me, as did Kahar. Kahar, he believed in me and, you know, he saw that I was a leader and, you know, wanted me to do my best.”
Through adversity, Demry thrived joining much of what St. Cloud State has to offer. She was Vice President of CAAS (Council of African American Students), DJ for Urban Invasion at KVSC, a reporter for UTVS News, and the producer and host of The Culture.
After graduation and with the help of Nicole Carros of Gray Television, Demry landed a role at Gray Television’s station KTTC News in Rochester, Minn. as a multimedia journalist. Demry splits part of her time in the social media sector, which covers platforms like Facebook and TikTok. Other time is spent reporting on news stories including the snowstorm on December 21st, a hayride with Governor Tim Walz, and covering the Minnesota State Fair.
Demry on set at KTTC.
Even with her success in the media industry, Demry says she is always chasing something new, “My short-term goal is to come back to the Twin Cities and be with my family, while my long-term goal is to own a TV station.”
Demry’s advice to people undecided about their majors or those in the Mass Communication department unsure of what to do is to get involved.
“College is when you can mess up but do not want to, so strive for the best. If you’re undecided about what you want to do, I encourage people to join [clubs]. Get your hands in as many places as possible, but get involved as much as possible.”
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