La Verne Alum Wins National Emmy

When Professor of Journalism Dr. George Keeler prepared a speech in 1999 to honor then-student Simon Bouie, he asked him how he would describe himself. Bouie’s answer: calm, soft-spoken and not opinionated.

But Dr. Keeler knew better of one of his favorite protégés.

“Simon, we’re honoring you tonight, not your brother,” he joked before the packed all-school awards assembly in Founders Hall. “This is the Simon Bouie we know: an energetic, gifted orator who delivers his opinion in a fully-developed editorial, and a person of passion. Let’s go back and capitalize Passion.”

Seventeen years later, that ambitious and passionate University of La Verne graduate continues to garner accolades for his talent and hard work. In September 2015, Bouie won a National Emmy during the 36^th annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards for his role as a producer on the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley series, “Challenge Academy.” He could not make it to the ceremony in New York City, but did monitor it via Twitter while on vacation with his family. The news that his team had won came across his news feed.

“It was a moment of joy and celebration,” he said.

He received his statuette in December.

Bouie, 42, of South Pasadena, left a huge mark at La Verne. He was a founding father of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity California Rho chapter, he served as president of the Black Student Union, and raised $22,000 to transition the university’s radio station, KULV from AM to FM. He immersed himself in every part of the Communications Department and the campus wide community, something he says was possible because of the small size of the university.

“La Verne gives you the opportunity to do anything you want to do if you put in the work and have the drive to accomplish it,” he said.

Nose for News

Bouie remembers driving around in the car with his father and grandfather as a child growing up in Rancho Cucamonga and Los Angeles County. They would often turn the radio on to news .

“I was always one of those kids who was interested in news,” Bouie said.

When his family wasn’t glued to television or radio broadcasts, Bouie read Time magazine regularly in his teen years.

That trend continued when he entered high school. Teachers encouraged him to join the speech and debate team, which meant he had to stay on top of current events.

But after graduating from Gahr High School in Cerritos in 1991, he decided initially against a career in journalism, because he did not think it would be practical and finding employment in the field might be difficult.

His college of choice became clear after touring University of La Verne and Pepperdine University, which had both accepted him.

“I came from a very diverse high school and that meant a lot to me. When I visited La Verne, I saw a lot more diversity and it felt more like home,” he said.

He declared political science as his major, and intended to go to law school. Then reality set in. He did not feel passionate about what he was studying.

Bouie took a year off from La Verne and returned as a public relations major. But he still could not find inspiration.

In 1997, he finally gave in to his true passion and declared broadcast journalism his major. He promised his parents that this time, he would finish school.

“We don’t care what you study. Just finish,” they told him.

Full Speed Ahead

With his path now clear, Bouie dove head first into university life.

“Simon was a do-it-all kind of student. He announced sports for the radio and TV stations, wrote for the Campus Times, was on the debate team and was active in fraternity life,” said Professor of Communications Don Pollock.

Bouie served on the Associated Students Federation, was a founder of the Brothers Forum and worked as arts and entertainment editor and sat on the editorial board for the Campus Times.

He was a 1998 recipient of the University’s Thomas J. Vivian Memorial Communications Scholarship, the Student Affairs General Service Award in 1999 and the 1999 Communications Department Award.

In his free time, he hosted the “Friday Night Scorecard” on the Muscle Sports Talk Radio station, 1510 AM, in Rancho Cucamonga.

Keeler, in his speech honoring Bouie for his Communications Department Award, called Bouie’s quest to raise money to purchase FM transmitters for La Verne’s radio station a task requiring “boundless energy and enthusiasm.”

“Simon will get the job done because ‘no’ is not in his vocabulary when he is doing a project bigger than himself,” Keeler said.

Professor of Communications Mike Laponis, who is general manager and adviser for Leo FM, credits Bouie with paving the way for the station to become what it is today: a station that streams worldwide through the Internet, and continues to broadcast throughout the campus.

“Using his knowledge of radio and what we needed, along with his persuasive speaking skills, Simon began to lobby the student body and administrators to help fund the equipment needed to be on the FM dial. He accomplished that task and KULV was able to broadcast on 107.9 FM,” Laponis said.

‘Something I had hoped to achieve’

In 1999, he began working at CBS and KCAL as a production assistant, ultimately becoming an assignment editor and special assignment field producer. He contributed to a 2003 Golden Mike Award winning story for his undercover work in exposing dirty bathrooms in Los Angeles Unified School District. He also earned a local Emmy in 2005 for his work on the KCBS News at 11 p.m. show where he served as an Assignment Editor.

But he had also hoped for another achievement: a national Emmy.

The door to that prize opened in July 2014 when his colleagues discovered a National Guard program called Youth ChalleNGe Academy, which strives to change the lives of high school dropouts through an academic bootcamp. Bouie’s team focused on Sunburst Youth Academy at the Joint Forces Training Base at Los Alamitos, where children with troubled pasts are set on a path toward jobs or college.

“We did our first weekend of shooting and I immediately fell in love with the story,” Bouie said. “It was something I had never seen before in all the years I’ve worked in TV.”

They are children at a crossroads, and Bouie said they all have the choice to destroy their lives or realize who they are today is not who they have to be tomorrow.

“We’re not supposed to get emotionally involved with the stories we cover, but it was impossible not to fall in love with these kids and root for them,” Bouie said.

One girl he remembers from the series was Adjekai Stewart, a teen with high intelligence, but low self-esteem. By the time she graduated from the program, she began to show signs that she was comfortable in her own skin.

And while filming a follow-up piece on Challenge Academy graduates, Bouie and his crew visited Stewart’s home in Carlsbad. The once troubled teen goes to college, has a job and dreams of becoming a marine biologist.

“She looked like a movie star,” Bouie said. “The confidence, poise and measure of peace she now has is remarkable.”

He calls the “Challenge Academy” series the thing he is most proud of during his career. Receiving his Emmy in the mail Dec. 4 was another high point. It is also a point of pride for his La Verne professors.

“The best writers and producers show their voice in their stories,” Keeler said. “They improve the human condition with their words. That is our Simon Bouie. He is known for producing stories that celebrate life and that make this a better world.”

Bouie hopes to continue working on stories that shed light on important programs like Challenge Academy. And though he says he is not ready for it now, he would like to one day work for 60 Minutes.

“I’ve always kind of looked at 60 Minutes as the top of Everest in terms of broadcast journalism,” he said.

He also made his first appearance as a guest speaker in one of Pollock’s classes in December 2015. Bouie considers his alma mater important, because he credits La Verne with where he is today.

“The university changed my life for the better,” he said. “There’s just no doubt about that.”