Ebony Horton, 20, a senior at Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Ala., knows her God-given talents and purpose.

“I believe that God gives each and every one of us a purpose, and that if we do not do what we are called to do, then God will give it to someone else.”

An English major and print journalism minor, Horton began writing when the editor of her high school newspaper, The Talon, in Ozark, Ala., asked her to do a story on the track team.

Through reporting, Horton networked and gained valuable resources that led to her becoming editor of The Talon and receiving several internships.

Horton will graduate a semester early in December. Following graduation, she plans to take a break. .

Horton once aspired to be an English teacher, but has now decided against it because of her passion for journalism. Ultimately, she wants to teach and inspire others with her own magazine, which will target black female teenagers.

Growing up reading various magazines, Horton said she knows from experience that there is not adequate coverage of real issues that affect this audience. As a black woman who was raised in a single-parent household, Horton knows firsthand that hard work and dedication can pay off. Her mother worked long hours so that she and her brothers could live a better life.

When asked the most important thing she’s learned about life, Horton quoted her mother: “Hurry up … move with purpose, because a bunch of other people are trying to get what you want,” and she refuses to let someone else capture her dreams.

TERRELL BRYANT