Alumni Spotlight: Jolie Sherman

Bloomfield Hills Schools alumna Jolie Sherman is overjoyed to return to the Detroit area. Sherman spent ten years away from Bloomfield, attending college and working in other states. Thrilled to be working at her dream job as a multimedia journalist for WXYZ Channel 7, she is also thankful to be living near her family again, including a twin brother and three additional siblings. Bloomfield Hills Schools uncovered why and how Sherman pursued broadcast journalism and the journey that led her back to Bloomfield.

BHS: Please share your experiences during high school and your activities since graduating from Bloomfield Hills High School.

Sherman: I graduated in 2016. My high school journey was unique. I started at Andover when I was a freshman and spent one year as an Andover Barron before the schools combined and became Bloomfield Hills High School. I spent two years at the Lahser building. While I wasn’t expecting to merge with our “rival” school, coming together was a unique part of my high school experience and one that meant new friendships and classes with teachers I wouldn’t have had otherwise! It was really exciting that my senior year was in the new building.

I attended college at Illinois State University. I got a scholarship to go there my sophomore year of high school. I was competing at a tournament in Peoria, Illinois, and the coach of the Illinois State speech team was in that round watching…at the end of the round she went up to my coach and said we offer student scholarships for students who participate on our speech and debate team and we’re really interested in Jolie!

As a student at ISU, I was traveling to tournaments three weekends out of the month. I would practice after my classes every day, work with the coach one on one, and write speeches (you can think of speech and debate like competitive TED talks.) It made the most sense to major in journalism because that's also something that requires public speaking, communicating, and interacting with people. I was also part of my school's news organization. I worked my way up after starting in weather and the  following year they threw me out into the field with a camera. Shortly thereafter, the pandemic hit, and I was no longer meeting people out in the field, but learning how to report remotely from my living room, so that was a unique experience.

I got my first news job in Burlington, Vermont, working from my apartment doing virtual interviews. Vermont is where I really learned the job as an MMJ, which stands for multimedia journalist. This means I do all aspects of a news story: camera work, editing, interviewing, and writing . About two years later, I moved to Connecticut to work on a morning show. I'd wake up at 2 AM during the week and about 3 AM on the weekends. I felt myself getting better and better. Recently, two of my stories from 2024 were nominated for Emmys, and I’ve been nominated three times. 

For most journalists, a big dream is to work in your home market, and it came true for me in February! My first day at WXYZ was March 10. I've already done really amazing stories. I'm just happy to be back. 

BHS: What significant experiences from Bloomfield Hills influenced your career path? 

Sherman: Public speaking was an activity I started when I was in sixth grade at West Hills Middle School and continued throughout high school [on a private team]. I was really happy to be part of the play my freshman year; I was in our high school's production of Ragtime at Andover. I love performing, and I made such great friends who also did the play. It was also great to be part of student leadership, planning the dances and social events, and being a voice for the student body. The teachers who definitely stand out to me are Mrs. Laliberte, Mrs. Lupone, and Ms. Matz, who was my speech coach in sixth grade. 

BHS: What type of stories do you prefer to cover in your reporting?

Sherman: I love highlighting people who are making a difference and who are giving back to their community. Every story is important, and no matter the genre, I'm very privileged to lend a voice to and give a platform to people who need their voices heard. Telling stories that can inspire the viewer makes us see just how amazing people are and how great the world is.

BHS: What advice would you offer current high school students interested in getting into journalism or reporting?

Sherman: Go after it, don't be afraid! Reach out to someone that works at the station or even the station itself, networking is a huge thing. Introduce yourself, reach out to reporters on Twitter or through their emails. We love to talk and would take it as a huge compliment and reach back out. Be confident in yourself if this is your passion, your dream. 

Please note, this conversation has been edited for clarity.