We’re profiling where Northwest Journalists of Color scholarship recipients are now and what advice they have to pass along to other aspiring journalists in Washington state. Know a talented student journalist who should apply? Check out all our 2018 scholarship and internship opportunities here.

Starla Sampaco, host and video producer, GeekWire

What is your current job?
I recently accepted an offer to host and produce videos for GeekWire, a national technology news site based in Seattle. (Feel free to send me story ideas at starla@geekwire.com!)

How did the NJC Scholarship help you reach your journalism goals?
I would not have gotten my current job if GeekWire reporter Taylor Soper had not advocated on my behalf. I knew Taylor through the UW, and he also became more familiar with my work as a judge for the NJC/AAJA student scholarships.

My NJC journalist mentor, Evonne Benedict, was a huge help during the Online News Association Conference in October. I interviewed her for an ONA Student Newsroom project, and she helped me track down other interviewees. During the ONA Conference, a TV news station verbally offered me a job and flew me out for my official interview the following month. I’m not sure if this TV station would have offered me a job if Evonne had not advocated for me or if I had not received the Founders’ Scholarship– I was previously introduced to the news director of this station through a journalist I met at the AAJA Convention in Philly. Although I did not accept their offer, I feel very lucky to have received the opportunity.

What advice do you have to other students who want to succeed in journalism?
Make the most of your internships. You’ll have access to professional equipment and experienced journalists who can give you feedback. Take advantage of it! Just because a task isn’t listed in the job description doesn’t mean you can’t do it. Don’t be afraid to share your new project ideas or ask for more responsibilities. The worst that can happen is that they will say “no.”

We’re profiling where Northwest Journalists of Color scholarship recipients are now and what advice they have to pass along to other aspiring journalists in Washington state. Know a talented student journalist who should apply? Check out all our 2018 scholarship and internship opportunities here. Applications are due March 23, 2018.

Thanh Tan, communications manager, Microsoft

What is your current job?
I’m a senior communications manager for Microsoft Public Affairs, creating content and telling stories that humanize our policy positions and our mission to empower every person on the planet to achieve more. I’m also the host and creator of a podcast from KUOW and PRX called Second Wave, which follows my journey to understand Vietnamese-American experiences more than 40 years after the Vietnam War.

Prior to these dream gigs, I worked for 12 years in journalism as a multimedia reporter, producer, host, and writer for KBCI-TV, KATU-TV, Idaho Public Television, The Texas Tribune and The Seattle Times Editorial Board. I also contributed to The New York Times and This American Life.

How did the NJC Scholarship help you reach your journalism goals?
The support from NJC gave me the encouragement and motivation I needed to know that there was a place for a daughter of first-generation immigrants to pursue an unconventional path in journalism. The NJC Scholarship exposed me to different Seattle newsrooms and professionals who would go on to guide me through an exciting – and unpredictable!– journey.

Practically speaking, NJC’s financial support over three years offset the cost of a private education that also required purchasing a lengthy list of very expensive books! Aside from my BA in Broadcast Journalism, I picked up a second degree in International Relations that helped provide me with critical and analytical skills to pursue a career that was largely focused on political journalism. Thanks to NJC for believing in my potential from the start.

What advice do you have to other students who want to succeed in journalism?
Stay curious and open to learning and presenting different storytelling approaches across different platforms. While the media is undergoing major disruption, the fundamentals of journalism remain the same– report the facts and seek out the best version of truth you can find, develop strong relationships with your editors so they can challenge you and hold you accountable, and respect your intended audience by learning to adapt large amounts of data and information into a simple story that resonates with people.

Don’t just talk. DO THE WORK, even if it sucks at first. You have to start somewhere. And remember there’s strength in numbers– try to surround yourself with collaborators who share the same values and passion for storytelling.

We’re profiling where Northwest Journalists of Color scholarship recipients are now and what advice they have to pass along to other aspiring journalists in Washington state. Know a talented student journalist who should apply? Check out all our 2018 scholarship and internship opportunities here. Applications are due March 23, 2018.

Meet Agatha Pacheco, intern, The Seattle Times

What is your current job?
For the past five months I’ve been an intern with The Times. I moved from the Features department to the Politics desk. I’ve been a legislative reporter covering bills I think people should know about. I just published a story about the foster care system which I think has been my most challenging story yet.

How did the NJC Scholarship help you reach your journalism goals?
The journalist mentor I got paired with, Ana Sofia Knauf, is great. She is exactly what I had expected out of a mentor. She was real with me, but supportive. She met with me more than once and we had open and honest conversations about my worries moving forward in my career and school year. Its a mentorship I feel I can always go to, even beyond this year.

What advice do you have to other students who want to succeed in journalism?
Keep pushing. No matter what, if this is what you want to do you need to push yourself; this is a trade where you’re constantly learning and sometimes those things are going to be complex, but it’s your job to ask the questions to help you understand it.

Reach out to people. Always reach out to your editors, other journalists, professors. Don’t be embarrassed to ask for help. As young journalists you need to accept you’re not the best at this —yet. Pulitzers aren’t won over night.

Never doubt yourself. Even when you think you can’t do this anymore or your upset about how you got edited, or you couldn’t break news as fast as someone else; none of what makes you doubt yourself matters, except that you are the one doubting yourself. Take all of that as learning experience.

And finally, remember why you chose to do this and remind yourself everyday.