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Most people go to college for a degree in something they feel passionate about or something that will secure them a long, comfortable career. Jayven Jean-Louis did both.

Jean-Louis is a Memorial High School graduate and a proud one at that, inspired by many of his teachers who attended Prairie View A&M and sought to attend as well. 

“I wasn’t just choosing a college—I was choosing a future,” Jean-Louis said. “Prairie View was the only school we could physically visit, and that visit alone left an imprint on me. The campus was beautiful, the people were relatable, and I saw a reflection of myself in the community.”

A few years later, he is now set to graduate with 2 bachelor’s degrees in Mass Communication and Computer Science. It’s a unique combination of proficiency for an even more unique scholar.

“Balancing computer science and mass communications wasn’t about confusion—it was about completion,” Jean-Louis said. “Both fields fed different sides of who I am, and that duality gave me purpose.”

While originally attending to pursue his interest in technology, he entered PVAMU with a focus on Computer Science. However, throughout the years, his passion for storytelling began to seep through more in more as he became involved in more creative projects on campus. His decision to pursue a mass communications degree while continuing his computer science degree led him to become something new: a digital storyteller. 

“Even though Prairie View didn’t have a film or TV major, I didn’t let that stop me,” Jean-Louis said. “I made mass communications my major because I refused to let the absence of a program define my potential.”

Jean-Louis interned for multiple companies, including AMC, Lockheed Martin, while also part of a Toni Morrison scholar to further elevate his storytelling ability. All this eventually led him to launch his own production company, TRILL TINT, where he seeks to tell authentic and culturally rooted stories to inspire a new generation of creatives. 

“Everything I do—whether on campus, behind the camera, or in code—is about reflecting identity, building legacy, and lifting others as I climb,” Jean-Louis said.

He is set to walk across the stage for his diploma, not once but twice this month, to close a chapter of his life. For the time being, Jean-Louis is hoping to take a gap year before heading back to school to pursue his master’s in film.

“When I say Prairie View is the Mecca of opportunity, I mean it,” Jean-Louis said. “It’s a place that helped me become not just a student but a leader, a creator, and a man.”