I have also made countless lifelong friends through YAF and NJC, including my current roommate, Emily Jashinsky, and my close friend, Kate Grise. Libertas: Have you always known you wanted to go into journalism as a profession? —————————————————————
GM: No. I started college as a biology major and didn’t realize I wanted to become a journalist until I hated my Biology 101 class so much that I switched to a creative writing course. Libertas: Who are your biggest mentors? —————————————————————
GM: My biggest mentors include: • Mark Tapscott, who was my editor at the Washington Examiner when I was there as an NJC intern. • Jim Antle, the Examiner’s political editor and the man who assigned me to the Trump beat. • Emily Jashinsky, my roommate, best friend, and a brilliant sparring partner. Libertas: You’ve had some really interesting internship experiences at Fox News and the Washington Examiner. How do you feel those internships prepared you for where you are today? Today, Morrongiello serves as the White House correspondent for the Washington Examiner, a “fast-paced” experience she “wouldn’t trade for the world.”
The contacts I made that summer have been invaluable to me in the years since I completed my internship at the Washington Examiner. My first job out of college was as a reporter at the Washington Examiner, where they assigned me to cover Donald Trump’s campaign. I’ve worked with a handful of NJC grads in my professional career and continue to regularly meet with editors and friends I made during my internship. Libertas: What impact did YAF have on your college career and beyond? —————————————————————
GM: Where to even begin? Beyond the discussions and debates my parents and
I would regularly engage in, I didn’t have a great deal of exposure to public policy until I attended the NCSC and heard from leading conservatives, including Senator Rick Santorum, Dr. Ben Carson, Kate Obenshain, and others. As noted, YAF also introduced me to the National Journalism Center, which really served as a launch pad for my career in journalism. I decided to transfer to The George Washington University after spending a summer interning in D.C. through the NJC program. I was ultimately hired at the outlet [the Washington Examiner] at which I interned when I graduated from GW two years later.
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GM: I learned the basics of broadcast and print journalism at both internships—how to write in AP style, how to operate a camera and edit a news package, how to interview a source, etc. These internships, along with my internship at The Daily Signal, helped me develop a solid foundation on which I’ve built my career since graduating college. Libertas: You are the White House correspondent for the Washington Examiner. What do you think is the most challenging aspect of covering the White House? What do you enjoy most about covering the White House? —————————————————————
GM: The most challenging aspect has been doing it at such a young age. I often Young America’s Foundation | Libertas | Fall 2017
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