Nadeska Alexis has made a name for herself, working as the host of Complex’s Everyday Struggle and interviewing some of hip-hop music’s biggest names.
And it hasn’t been easy. From being overly critiqued unlike her male co-hosts and even being dragged on social media for simply asking questions, Alexis has maintained her cool and professionalism. In ESSENCE’s latest We See You, Sis, Alexis opens up about what those tough career moments have taught her.
“I’ve been through a lot of real things that sometimes it feels ridiculous to be upset about the things I go through day to day,” Alexis said. “Getting dragged by the internet constantly, that’s become a part of my life.”
“Adjusting to it was hard, but when you’ve been battling with immigration for 10 years of your life, sometimes you just need time to put it all in perspective,” the journalist born in Grenada added.
Like many immigrant children, Alexis admitted she was teased as a child for her Caribbean accent. It wasn’t until Bajan singer Rihanna hit the top of the charts that Alexis felt proud of her heritage.
“Moving to the states was really tough. I moved here at the very end of fifth grade with maybe three weeks [or] a month left. Imagine how tough that is coming in as the girl with the foreign accent,” she recalled. “I basically didn’t feel like it was cool to be from the Caribbean for a long time. People like Rihanna finally made me feel like it was really cool to be who I was.”
To learn more about what makes Alexis special, watch the latest episode of ESSENCE’s We See You, Sis.