In classrooms, Cheryl follows the mantra of Dr. Napoleon B. Lewis, who said, "A teacher hasn't taught if the student hasn't learned.” She believes in also providing hard-knock life lessons like her FAMU professors did. In 1998, she headed the Paul Quinn College Communications Department; revitalizing the school newspaper, and starting an NABJ Chapter (Chapter of the Year finalist and Student Journalist of the Year honors, while winning several national awards). Having taught at UNT, TWU, Dallas College, and the DFW/ABJ Urban Journalism Workshop, the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Famer has been recognized by the Journalism Education Association and National Conference of Editorial Writers for her work with journalism students.