The ponytail and tattoos might throw some people off when they first meet 21-year-old Lelan LeDoux. But a look at the 155 articles he’s written for the Hurricane, the University of Miami’s student newspaper, over the past three years show you can’t always trust a first impression.

“I’m trying to break the stereotype of what a journalist is and looks like,” LeDoux said. “I can relate to people. People are more willing to open up to me because I put them at ease.” Long sleeves can cover the five tattoos that decorate both arms, but the ponytail is a bit harder to cover up.

“I don’t plan on cutting my hair anytime soon,” he said laughing.

A Denver native, LeDoux was raised by a single mother and never knew his father. He will be the first to admit he grew up in a violent neighborhood. At a house party during his senior year of high school, LeDoux was shot in his abdomen after an altercation between party goers and gang members. A week and a half after being discharged from the hospital, he walked across the stage and received his diploma.

LeDoux says the key to his success is his ability to focus. “Other people weren’t focused, but I was. They messed around, and I didn’t,” he said. In spring 2011, he will be the first in his family to graduate from college.

He has always had a passion for sports and journalism, playing on his high school’s football and basketball teams while serving as editor-in-chief for the school paper.

It was only natural that he would major in both broadcast journalism and sports administration at the University of Miami. As a senior staff writer he currently holds the university record for the most stories published in the school’s newspaper.

“I’m like the Allen Iverson of sports journalism,” he quipped. However, the downturn in the industry has LeDoux exploring other sports-related career paths. He’s preparing to take the LSAT, the law school aptitude test, in June and hopes to attend law school with the goal of becoming a sports and entertainment agent.

– Nikole L. Pegues

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