HAMMOND— Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts returned to Southeastern Louisiana University on Thursday to cut the ribbon on the new Robin Roberts Broadcast Media Center, a state-of-the-art facility she helped fund.

Roberts, a former journalism student at Southeastern, said walking the campus again was a full-circle moment.

“It is good to be home and to walk around this campus that I can’t even recognize because it has just advanced over the years,” Roberts said.

The center will allow students to edit, anchor, and produce their own news stories, giving them hands-on experience similar to what helped launch Roberts’ career.

“Here I am walking the campus with other students — everybody has a dream. Did I know mine would be realized? No. But I knew I had a better chance by being a student here at Southeastern,” Roberts said.

Roberts said the new center is about inspiring the next generation of storytellers.

“It’s really important for them to know — yes, I’m very proud. But I’m the legacy. They’re the future. They are the now,” she said.

University officials say the facility represents an investment in both the students and the future of broadcast journalism.