Inspiration Courtesy of Adrian Nicole LeBlanc

Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to hear author and journalist, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc speak at the University of Oregon. You may recognize her name from her early work at Seventeen magazine or her recent book, "Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx." She spoke to the crowd of 30 something students mostly about her book, which followed the lives of a few teens growing up in New York, among drugs, sex and violence.

It was interesting to hear the stories of a hardly intimidating woman (she was wearing a black sweat suit and tortoise shell glasses), who had immersed herself in a completely different culture. LeBlanc was still working at Seventeen, while she spent her nights engrossed in the lives of inner city teens. But, after a while, LeBlanc just couldn’t take it anymore. One day, as she was taking the elevator up to her day job at Seventeen, she took a look around her, at the interior of the elevator. It was new, clean, well-maintained – exactly the opposite of the rickety old piece-of-junk elevator she rode so often in the Bronx. LeBlanc said that by the time the doors opened to reveal the new carpet and pink walls of the Seventeen office, she just couldn’t take it anymore. From that day forward, LeBlanc threw herself into her other work, writing her book.

Once she had decided to fully giver herself to her work in the Bronx, LeBlanc was able to immerse herself even deeper into her work. And, as any journalist knows, with deeper commitment, comes better work.

LeBlanc also handed down some good tips for interviewing, especially subjects that seem intimidating. She said that subjects can often sense the judgment of their interviewer and this causes them to clam up.

LeBlanc recalled interviewing a young Bronx girl involved in a love triangle. Caesar, who LeBlanc described as a player, was living with one girl and fathering the baby of another girl, Coco. During the interview, Coco revealed to LeBlanc that when Caesar was out with his live-in girlfriend, she would clean his sneakers and iron his shirts. LeBlanc, with all her feminist, academia-centered views, reacted with shock. Coco withdrew.

“Judgment can get in the way of the most mundane interactions,” said LeBlanc, adding that it is difficult, but necessary for all journalists to separate their egos from their stories.

Ultimately, I found LeBlanc’s advice to be quite soothing, particularly for a young journalist who is not entirely sure where her career will take her. LeBlanc followed her passion and interests and, assuredly, anyone who does the same will never be disappointed.