Venturing outside the classroom
"When I started at the University of Minnesota, I knew I needed to make the most of my undergraduate career to prepare me for my lifetime career in bilingual television journalism," writes Kevin Keen. "After I graduated, I wanted to be able to produce quality video journalism that connects the Spanish-speaking world with the English-speaking one. I knew I’d need to venture outside the classroom to make that happen so I always kept my eye out for opportunities to engage!"
Kevin is a talented, highly motivated student, and through independent study with the Center for Democracy and Citizenship (CDC) he further developed his organizing skills. The CDC also provided him connections to "a world I hadn’t before had much contact with, allowing me to learn, understand, grow and engage." In June, Kevin joined a handful of other future journalists for an "embed" with the Minnesota National Guard where he "[followed troops] around as they trained, interviewing them, filming them, then producing a series of video news stories."
Kevin's reflections about how he made making connections a part of his college experience are featured on the University of Minnesota's "Engage: Do What Matters!" web site.
