Prior to WGN, she worked at the city’s public access television network, CAN TV, for more than 15 years. While there, she served as host and producer of the network’s news affairs program, Political Forum. Some of the topics she covered as host of Political Forum include the unique ways Chicago’s West Side youth experienced the COVID-19 pandemic, the battle between Democrats and Republicans over state-wide mask mandates, the 2020 Chicago riots, the legacy of Black women in Chicago politics and Chicago’s 2023 Mayoral race.

As a native Chicagoan who proudly hails from the city's South Side, Sylvia still enjoys volunteering with many of the community organizations that helped shape her as a young girl, like Target HOPE, a program committed to sending talented inner-city students to college with scholarships.

Sylvia currently sits on the executive board of the National Association of Black Journalists–Chicago Chapter and serves as chair of the Advocacy Committee. She is also a member of the Chicago Journalists Association and the Journalism and Women Symposium (JAWS).

Sylvia is a proud graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism. She is the inaugural winner of the People's Choice Award at the 28th Annual Community Media Awards Presented by Public Narrative. She is the 2nd place winner of the Chicago Journalists Association’s top prize, the 2023 Dorothy Storck Award. She is also the 2023 recipient of the legendary JAWS quilt.