Morrongiello (front row, third from left), joins young people from around the country for the National Journalism Center’s 12-week internship program in Washington, D.C.
“I had never been to D.C., but I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t been to that conference. The people [there] propelled me forward as a young aspiring journalist, and I am forever indebted to them,” Morrongiello noted. It was at that conference, among passionate young conservatives, that Morrongiello realized her vocational desire was to inform the public through a career in media. She returned to her campus at Oregon State University (OSU) with motivation to voice beliefs that were rarely mentioned by professors and classmates. Morrongiello quickly stepped up on her liberal campus as the founding Young Americans for Freedom chapter chairwoman, determined to rally together other like-minded students.
“Students aren’t getting stories from both sides; it’s been detrimental to our generation,” she explained. During her freshman year, Morrongiello recalled being given seven textbooks for her introduction to political science class. The literature covered bizarre and leftist topics including why America needs a single-payer system and “crashing the Tea Party.” Unhappy with the lack of diversity in higher education, Morrongiello confronted her professor, and eventually the administration, about her dissatisfaction with the curriculum. Coincidentally, the professor went on sabbatical the following semester, and Morrongiello never heard back from the administration on the issue. Young America’s Foundation | Libertas | Winter 2014
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