When asked if the special, which aired in May 2025 during Mental Health Awareness Month, is expected to be continued by Spectrum for 2026, Shinn shared some exciting news.
“I'm getting married in May, so we'll see. That might be a lot, but I would love to produce it again,” Shinn said. “It's been something we've been trying to do every year. When I went to Cronkite, I really wanted to do long-form storytelling, so this was an incredible opportunity for me to get to do long-form storytelling on a really important topic. We got to go out and interview people in man-on-the-street style interviews.”
While Shinn was studying journalism with honors at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, she was very involved in extracurricular activities, which she said prepared her for her current work at Spectrum News.
“I was the vice president of NABJ [The National Association of Black Journalists], I was the co-president of the Multicultural Student Journalist Coalition,” Shinn said. “I joined as many clubs as I could. I was a CA for on-campus housing, and that just taught me a lot of leadership skills as well. I don't think I would be where I'm at without ASU and the opportunities that the university gives to students, so take advantage of those as much as you possibly can.”
When asked what professors at ASU made the biggest impact on Shinn, there were many who she felt thankful for, including Kristin Gilger, who served as interim dean in 2020-2021; Allysa Adams and Venita Hawthorne James, her thesis project co-chairs; Maud Beelman and Lauren Mucciolo, of the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism; and Retha Hill, who served as the faculty advisor for NABJ.
“They're really who drove home the ability to research things and find data-driven stories, which is super important,” Shinn said. “I'm very blessed to have won this Emmy. I think it speaks to the importance of storytelling, and I hope that anyone who engages with my story takes away that you should keep doing what you're passionate about.”
Her advice for her fellow journalist Sun Devils? Stay focused on your studies, get involved and learn the fundamentals.
“The basic tenets of storytelling are not going anywhere, so you should really lean into honing those skills,” she said. “They'll take you far in whatever industry you decide to go in and I'm very happy to be a graduate of Cronkite. I think that ASU shaped me very well to be excelling in my professional career.”