She earned her bachelor’s degrees from Appalachian State University double majoring in journalism and public relations. She received her master’s degree from the University of Alabama in community journalism and doctorate from the University of Florida in mass communication. Her specialties include multimedia journalism, newsroom culture and social media. Cox worked as a reporter in newsrooms throughout Florida covering multiple beats for print and online publications. She gained multimedia reporting experience as an intern at The Washington Post’s Loudoun Extra. Cox teaches courses in journalism incorporating new and social media techniques alongside traditional media writing skills and theory. She maintains her journalism skills working as a freelance multimedia reporter for local publications.