Publishing a moving story. Conducting a powerful interview. Reporting a story that brings change.
Undertaking those responsibilities is not everyone’s cup of tea, but for Danielle Wong (below), being in the thick of things is ideal.
Wong, who first joined ThreeSixty Journalism in 2013, hopes to become an international broadcast journalist and, as a result, a voice of accuracy to dispel misconceptions about cultural practices.
“That’s a large reason why there are so many conflicts in this world right now, because there’s a lot of misunderstanding and misperceptions,” Wong said, “and I think that by being a broadcast journalist I can help [reinform] those misperceptions, because I will be an advocate.”
She’ll take her next step by attending the University of St. Thomas next year with a four-year, full-tuition scholarship—the ThreeSixty Scholarship—to study Communication & Journalism (COJO).
Wong is one of 22 ThreeSixty graduates—who were active in the program during the school year—who have reported they will attend college this fall (and one who will attend the following year). Some will attend in-state schools, such as Augsburg College and the University of Minnesota, while others will head out of state to institutions such as George Washington University and Dartmouth College.
Last year, all 20 ThreeSixty graduates reported attending a college or university for the 2015-16 school year.
“How cool is that, 42 of 42 students? We’re proud of each one, no matter the path they’re pursuing,” said ThreeSixty Executive Director Chad Caruthers. “ThreeSixty means journalism, yes, but it also means college readiness and student success.”
For Blaine High School graduate Annrose Jerry, music has always been more than a hobby. To her, music is a means of bringing people together, as well as an outlet, she said.
Jerry, who was awarded as her high school’s top band member, will attend the University of Notre Dame this fall and hopes to continue music there in ensembles.
“I look forward to college,” said Jerry, who joined ThreeSixty in the summer of 2015. “I hope I can grow even more as a person. … I’m just going to seek out experiences for those experiences, because that’s when you become an adult.”
Jerry also plans to study neuroscience and behavior at Notre Dame.
College is further on the horizon for Perpich Arts High School graduate Katia Kozachok. Instead of taking the contemporary route, Kozachok will take a gap year in Madhya Pradesh, India, to immerse herself in Indian culture.
After her gap year, Kozachok plans to attend the University of Minnesota Morris to study psychology and gender studies, and hopefully return to India before graduating.
Kozachok said a combination of her parents’ experiences abroad coupled with her own desire to try something unique fueled her decision.
“Both of my parents were exchange students, so it’s something that they really wanted their kids to do if given the chance,” said Kozachok, who joined ThreeSixty in 2013. “… I just wanted to experience something vastly different than what I was used to.”
Kozachok hopes to return home a year later with a better grasp on the Hindi language. And she definitely will not miss the frigid months while she’s gone.
“The lack of winter is pretty great,” she said.
