SEYI GESINDE, in this piece takes a look at the activities of Lola Ogunnaike, a Nigerian rated among 150 most influential blacks in America, owing to her inspiring career as a foreign journalist.

Lola Ogunnaike is a foreign-based Nigerian who has made it to the top in her chosen career,journalism. Born 37 years ago, Lola, who joined the Cable News Network (CNN) in 2007, was named by the popular Ebony magazine among 150 Most Influential Blacks in America.

While in CNN, she was the entertainment correspondent featuring on the news medium’s morning programme, American Morning. Besides, she also made regular guest appearances to the United States’ commercial broadcasting television network, National Broadcasting Company (NBC).

She became more popular when she was spotted with the United States’ first lady, Michelle Obama, when she visited South Africa last year.

Lola holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of Virginia and Masters degree in Fine Arts in journalism from New York University.

As a journalist on the entertainment beat, Lola, while in CNN reported on pop culture and entertainment news as part of American Morning’s daily news coverage until she left in 2009.

Before joining CNN, she had worked as a reporter with The New York Times, There, as the head of the newspapers entertainment beat, she had encounter with top celebrities in the United States. And for the news medium’s entertainment column, Arts and Leisure, she wrote profiles of celebrities like Ozwald Boateng, Oprah Winfrey and Jennifer Lopez.

Also, prior to working with The New York Times, Lola was a features reporter at the New York Daily News. During that period, she became popular for her coverage of breaking news on celebrities and entertainment for the paper’s entertainment section, Now and for the Rush and Molloy column. She had also worked as a contributing writer for Vibe Magazine.

Lola also has her works published in Rolling Stone, Glamour, Details magazine, Nylon, the New York Observer and others.

She speaks more on her experience with Mrs Obama, as a foreign journalist and other interesting issues in this interview with Golden Icons, a celebrity, lifestyle, inspirational and entertainment magazine. Excerpts:

You recently interviewed first lady, Michelle Obama during her trip to South Africa and Botswana. What was the experience like?
Interviewing Mrs Obama was definitely one of the highlights of my professional career. Over the years, I’ve interviewed everyone from Oprah Winfrey and Sting to Jay-Z and Chinua Achebe. I even had the opportunity to interview White House Social Secretary, Desiree Rogers for CNN.

Sitting in the East Wing at the White House interviewing Ms Rogers was amazing and I really didn’t think  I’d get much better than that. But being in Africa with the (United States’)first black first lady was absolutely incredible. The aim of her week long, goodwill mission to South Africa and Botswana in late June was to instil young people with the belief that they can make a difference in the world and that the success of the continent depends on them, as well as the education and empowerment of young women.

Her schedule was crammed with museum and memorial visits, meetings with heads of state and the downtrodden, trips to community centres and local restaurants. Her speech before a crowd of nearly 2,000 at Regina Mundi, South Africa’s largest Catholic Church, left many in the audience so inspired they were moved to tears.

Travelling with her motorcade is what you need to get used to. Secret service men searched us every morning, giant security dogs sniffed through our bags and we were constantly running from event to event. I made the colossal mistake of only bringing high heels and no sneakers. My advice: always wear sensible shoes when you’re rolling with the First Lady.

Describe what it was like for you visiting other African nations outside of Nigeria?
I love Nigeria, particularly Lagos. It’s fast-paced, pulsating with energy and reminds me a lot of Manhattan, which is where I’ve lived for more than a decade. Cape Town was gorgeous and far more low keyed than Lagos. I can’t wait to visit again. Visiting the shanty towns in Soweto was heartbreaking. One never gets used to seeing abject poverty. I was a bit freaked out by the monkeys running around the airport in Botswana. Certainly don’t see that in the US. Botswana is known for its beef and diamond exports. I had some great steak but, sadly, I left with no bling.

Your most memorable moments at CNN?
That’s a tough question because I’ve had so many memorable moments at CNN. I am an avid reader and majored in English at the University of Virginia, so having an opportunity to interview one of my favourite authors, Chinua Achebe was incredible. He was gracious enough to give me several hours of his time and I also shared a lovely lunch with him and his family. During my interview with another of my favourite authors, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, we talked so much we ran out of tape. And she asked me just as many questions as I asked her. She’d make a great journalist. Interviewing supermodel, Iman was quite fun. She’s glamorous, no-nonsense and very funny. I also enjoyed my sit-down at the White House with Social Secretary, Desiree Rogers. She gave me a tour of the East Wing. The movie theatre was fabulous.