Prairie View A&M University Educator Selected for Alex Trebek Legacy Fellowship

Sherita Stanley, a Prairie View A&M University educator, has been selected for an Alex Trebek Legacy Fellowship by the Television Academy Foundation in Hollywood. She is one of 18 professors selected from colleges and universities nationwide for the 2026 fellowship program.

Since 2021, the Foundation has offered Alex Trebek Legacy Fellowships, established by the Harry & Judy Friedman Family Foundation, in honor of the late television icon and Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, which provide financial support for educators from community colleges and minority-serving institutions to attend its annual Media Educators Conference. The three-day conference, held at the Television Academy’s North Hollywood campus in California, Oct. 21-23, connects college classrooms with the television industry by providing media professors with curriculum-enhancing seminars on the latest in the art, science and business of television with prominent leaders in entertainment.

Stanley is a communication and media educator who teaches Fundamentals of Speech Communication and Video Production I at Prairie View A&M University. Her teaching combines rhetorical theory, experiential practice, active listening and low-stress learning environments that encourage students to develop confidence as communicators and creators.

With professional experience spanning media training, executive communication, audience engagement, crisis communication, speechwriting, strategic messaging and video production, Stanley brings real-world communication and media perspectives into the classroom. Her creative work includes recap and promotional videos; a first runner-up short film, The Blind Date, recognized at an iPic Theater opening; entertainment industry collaborations; a sneaker documentary; and projects with BET, HipHop Weekly, REVOLT and ComplexCon. Her professional experience also includes strategic communication and media work with Houston political campaigns, including campaigns for the mayor and the U.S. House of Representatives.

Committed to expanding opportunities for students, Stanley has connected Prairie View A&M University students with campus radio opportunities, guest lectures, freelance and portfolio-building experiences, and industry experiences, including SXSW and ACL. Through the Alex Trebek Legacy Fellowship, she looks forward to learning from industry leaders and bringing new knowledge, perspectives and connections back to the students she serves.