When Njera Perkins, KLN ’19, returned to Temple University this spring, she took the stage in a role she once imagined might take another decade to achieve.

Now a culture reporter for HuffPost, Perkins moderated a conversation with “Abbott Elementary” star Janelle James before a packed audience at the Temple Performing Arts Center on March 19. The event, part of Temple’s 2026 Distinguished Speaker Series, brought Perkins back to the university where she first discovered her talent for writing and began building a career in entertainment journalism.

Perkins interviewed James about her life and career, including her Emmy-nominated role as Principal Ava Coleman on the Philadelphia-set sitcom.

The appearance marked a full-circle moment for Perkins, who once stayed up late writing stories in her off-campus apartment while wondering when—or whether—opportunities like this would come.

Perkins began preparing for the event in December. She researched James’ background, the projects she has pursued since joining “Abbott Elementary” and who she is beyond the characters she plays. By March, Perkins felt ready for the conversation.

“I try to make all my interviews as relaxed as possible because the whole stoic Q&A conversation in front of a lot of people does not always make a great experience from an audience point of view,” Perkins said. “You want to make it fun for the audience and the person you are talking to.”

Perkins first discovered her talent for writing during her first year at Temple, when an English professor encouraged her to submit a class portfolio for a campus writing award. She won.

At the time, Perkins was studying kinesiology with plans to become a physical therapist. By winter break of her sophomore year, however, she realized she was no longer passionate about the field.

Around that time, Perkins saw a post on X from another Temple student who ran an entertainment website and was searching for student writers. Perkins joined the team and wrote for the publication for more than a year. As her interest grew, she began pursuing bylines at other small publications covering entertainment and pop culture. She also changed her major to strategic communication and added a minor in public relations.

“I just kind of have always loved pop culture, music, TV shows, movies, entertainment and all that stuff, even from when I was a kid,” Perkins said. “That is where I naturally gravitated toward when I started writing.”

During her senior year, Perkins served as student life editor of the Templar yearbook. The role gave her experience working with an editorial staff, editing copy and interviewing students.

Executive Director for Community Impact and Civic Engagement David Brown has become an important sounding board for Perkins during her time at Temple. As a senior, she was unsure how to break into digital entertainment reporting and sought his advice about her next steps after graduation.

The two remain in touch, and Perkins said she knows Brown is always in her corner.

“She has gone from this quiet student … to now, she is a person who is interviewing this national celebrity,” Brown said. “It’s like, ‘Man, what a journey.’ It’s the evolution of things.”

After graduation, the Baltimore native moved to New York and began interning in public relations. She later worked at several agencies before a contact alerted her to an opening at AfroTech, where she covered technology and business.

Perkins balanced journalism and public relations for a year. Once she realized she wanted to write full time, she left her public relations job and began freelancing. AfroTech is owned by Blavity Inc., which operates several other outlets to which Perkins contributed.

Her career changed course when a PopSugar recruiter contacted her on LinkedIn about an assistant editor position. Perkins worked there for a year and a half before being laid off.

She returned to freelancing and wrote for publications including Teen Vogue, Elle and BET. A former colleague later connected her with People magazine’s music team. She worked there for several months before joining HuffPost as a culture reporter.

Perkins has conducted one-on-one interviews with entertainers including Wunmi Mosaku, Malcolm D. Lee and Halle Berry. Her conversation with James, however, marked her first time moderating an in-person interview before a live audience.

“That was a really dope experience,” Perkins said. “I am really glad I got to come back and just think about the things I used to do in undergrad and get to this point. I would stay up late writing stories in my off-campus apartment, just praying for opportunities like this and thinking I would not get to do things like this until 10 years down the line or in my 30s.

“I did not think they would happen as soon as they have, so I am super, super incredibly grateful.”

Perkins now lives in Los Angeles, where she continues working as a culture reporter for HuffPost. Most recently, her role took her to the 98th Academy Awards.