Al Roker recently received the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism's Excellence in Journalism Award, and he has since shared a heartfelt tribute reflecting on the special career moment.
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The Today star took to Instagram to post several pictures from the night, which was also attended by his wife Deborah Roberts.
"I was so incredibly honored and humbled to receive the #waltercronkiteschoolofjournalism excellence in journalism award from @cronkite_asu and to have @debrobertsabc and colleagues like @tmazzarelli and @audreybelesgrady there as well," he wrote.
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Al's Today co-stars were quick to send messages of support to their colleague and friend, with Dylan Dreyer writing: "We're so proud of you!!! Well earned and deserved," while Willie Geist wrote: "Congrats, Al! Well deserved, my friend."
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Sheinelle Jones shared a dedicated post to Al following his award, alongside a photo of the Today stars celebrating in the studio with a cake featuring a picture of the star dressed up in a wig during his Saturday Night Live appearance.
Al Roker paid a heartfelt tribute following his incredible achievement
"I couldn’t let the night go by without saluting our dear friend @alroker!!," she wrote. "Al just received the Walter Cronkite Award for all of his work over the years… and he's still blazing trails!!! (Plus…. did you catch him on @nbcsnl this weekend? So so funny… hence the picture on the cake!) We love you Al!"
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Al gave advice to aspiring journalists during a Q&A at Arizona State University on Monday, where he received his award.
The Today star's colleagues including Dylan Dreyer were there to cheer him on
"I've been very fortunate, " he told the students. "There have been a lot of high points, meeting people I never thought I'd get to meet and going places I never thought I'd get to go."
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He also advised the audience to "just be yourself" when working in front of the camera, and that the more practice they get, the more comfortable they will be.
Al and his wife Deborah Roberts
Al also told the students that he was the first Black forecaster in most of the cities he worked in, and said that his dad had given him the following advice: "One of the things my dad told me early on was, 'You’re going to have to work twice as hard and be twice as good as the white kid next to you.' I've always kind of worked that way."
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Admitting that he didn't ever imagine his career to be in television, Al revealed his delight at receiving such a prestigious award. "When I saw the email, I thought, 'Is this real?'" he joked. "Is there another Walter Cronkite Award?"
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