Blog: The next wave of Asian American journalists

Left to right: Lael Telles, Frank Blethen, Seattle Times Publisher, and Katelin Chow, who has received both NWAW and Seattle Times scholarships.

Left to right: David Domke, Department Chair, Rujun (Icing) Song, Donald Kraft, Alumnus, James Zaw, Andrew Doughman, and Joanna Nolasco.

The print industries are in such bad shape that I thought young people would be scared to go into journalism.

When I attended the scholarship ceremony of the Department of Communications at the University of Washington, I changed my mind. The young scholarship recipients are bold, adventurous, vibrant, and goal-oriented. There is no fear in their eyes, just hopes and dreams. They know how to map their futures.

Diversity is also strong. There are not just Chinese and Japanese but Cambodian and Burmese among the group. They are also global in their outlook. A Korean American student is going to Kenya this fall for an internship. Kenya, Africa! I could not believe what I heard. The Burmese student had just returned from Germany. And he is still an undergraduate. Wow!

And even in a tumbling economy, the department is able to give away $100,000 in scholarships, exceeding last year’s $70,000.

Congratulations to the Department of Communications for raising our next breed of strong Asian American journalists. ♦