ATLANTA — Friends and coworkers call Sierra Jenkins a champion for truth, someone dedicated to her craft of journalism. The Virginia reporter graduated from Georgia State University and interned with Atlanta Magazine and CNN.
Jenkins, 25, lost her life over the weekend when she was caught in the crossfire during a random shooting. Police said Jenkins was an innocent bystander, hanging out with friends in downtown Norfolk, Virginia around 2 a.m. Saturday. Another man was killed, and three others were injured. Police have not released any information about a suspect in the shooting.
"It hit me very hard," Dr. Maurice Hobson, an Africana Studies professor at GSU, said. "I am blessed to have been engaged by this beautiful young woman, this beautiful young spirit. I’m a better person for it. She left an indelible impression on my life."
Hobson became a mentor for Jenkins while she was in college. Jenkins was involved with editing an online magazine at GSU. Hobson called the journalism major the epitome of intellectual integrity, willing to bring light to issues like voter suppression, criminal reform and reproductive rights.
"She was a hard worker," Hobson said. "She was thoughtful, she was bright, she was a galvanizing force in the classroom. Her dreams and goals were to use media and use her pen to give voice to the marginalized.”
Jenkins would later work with Betsy Riley, the current editor-in-chief at Atlanta Magazine. Jenkins was described as accurate and careful in her job. Riley said Jenkins covered big stories like the 2020 election, Georgia's handling of COVID-19 and crunched data for several other reports. Jenkins later worked as a freelancer with Atlanta Magazine once her internship was over. She also covered breaking news and education as a reporter at The Virginian-Pilot.
"She feels very much like part of our family," Riley said. "She inspires us, reminds us why we got into this business. She was one of those people. Her passion for journalism kept us going through some really hard times in the last couple years.”
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Riley said the random shooting that took Jenkins' life over the weekend was frightening and made for a vulnerable moment.
"A true journalist runs to the scene, and that would be Sierra," Riley said. "She knew that journalism could make a difference. She was totally dedicated to getting the facts correct to an incredible degree, and when you lose someone, it reminds you not to take for granted the people you still have.”
Riley said Atlanta Magazine was printing a tribute to Jenkins, and there will be other ways that her memory will be honored. Riley told 11Alive Jenkins' legacy will be that journalism matters, truth matters and stories matter. For Hobson, losing Jenkins doesn't mean the world has lost her voice or her message.
“The goal was to be able to see people in their full humanity, regardless of what they looked like or what they did," Hobson said. "It was to always humanize anyone she engaged. She also believed in justice. She wanted a fair world.”