Patrice Lorene Coleman remembers preferring to watch the daily news as a little girl when her cousins wanted to watch cartoons. Perhaps it is no surprise that she is planning a career in journalism.

Coleman, an only child born when her mother was 15 years old, said she has the "drive, energy, and just a will to get things done - to make it the best that it can possibly be."

Anticipating in a July 1 commencement from Dillard University in New Orleans , Coleman credits much of her success to the two most important people in her life, her mother and grandmother.

"When I struggle with something or don't want to do something, they're always there to encourage me and get me back on track," she said. "They let me know to pray about everything."

And praying is exactly what Coleman has been doing a lot lately - praying for a job in the Los Angeles bureau of the Associated Press after her graduation.

When asked about her key to success, Coleman said she relied heavily on passion.

"You have to have a passion about something in order to do it well," Coleman said. "The reason that I have been successful thus far is because I am passionate about it."