Phillip Lucas had no plans to go to college – that is, until he accidentally became a journalist in high school.

“Journalism was just an elective class I took in high school. I ended up really liking it,” said Lucas, a Seattle native.

Now a senior print journalism major at Howard University, Lucas, 21, is working toward becoming an accomplished journalist. After working on the campus newspaper, he earned an internship with the Washington bureau of The Buffalo News.

“I’d be on my way to work and my boss would send me to Capitol Hill,” he said.  “That’s the best part about journalism: You have to be able to think on your feet, and you have to be able to move fast.”

Lucas said the process hasn’t been easy.

“I tried to transfer twice,” he said. “It’s not always fun, and it’s not always the happiest place on earth, but you get what you came for if you work for it.”

Lucas said living on the East Coast has changed his perspective.

“It’s almost like a double consciousness,” he said. “You’re aware of real issues in the black community as opposed to witnessing it secondhand on BET.”

Lucas said he aspires to become a correspondent.

“I don’t know where the industry is headed or what will be expected of me,” he said, “but as long as I’m having an impact on people and doing work that I feel is rewarding, I’ve been successful.

“And paying off these student loans would be great, too,” he said.