Richard White of Houston said he’s breaking the stereotype of a black man by becoming a journalist.

“There is a stereotype that as a black man, people expect that you would be a drug dealer, a rap star or a professional athlete,” said White, a senior journalism major at Prairie View A&M, in Prairie View, Texas.

Instead, he said, “I’m out here grinding. I’m not doing something illegal; I’m exercising the First Amendment.”

White is editor-in-chief for the campus weekly newspaper, The Panther. Working for the paper produces a stimulating mix of pressure and pride.

“Every small mistake falls on you,” said White. But when the paper wins an award or is recognized, “you feel good.”

White said he fell in love with journalism the second semester of his freshman year after realizing biology was not for him – even though he loves science and “the way things work.”

Journalism offered him something else: “You can paint a picture with words,” White said.

Unsure of a new major, he prayed about it. He said he received his confirmation through a Bill Cosby quote on a flier that read, “I don’t know the keys to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone.”

White is doing what pleases him. A New York Yankees fan, he said he enjoys writing about sports and aspires to become an ESPN sportscaster. He said it’s also a good conversation opener.

“So are you a Mets fan?” he asked.