Learning from a great man

One thing that has been very clear today is how important it is to have people of color in newsrooms to provide substantial coverage of multicolor America. The new generation of journalists in today’s America is able to communicate with every citizen regardless of background and ethnicity. As I turned to my right or to my left, I was happy to see young people like me with great hopes and millions of ideas for changing the world and, of course, changing the newsroom.

As long as you have passion as a reporter there are no obstacles.

That is what I learned on the first day of orientation from a great man. No words can describe how fascinating he is. But let me try. With great personality and spirit and tremendous humor, he is a wonderful human being -- a person you feel very comfortable talking to. He is a former reporter and editor with a lot of passion. But he has gone beyond to guide people and provide advice to new generations of reporters. This extraordinary person is John C. Quinn. I was delighted to see how well he knows every Chips Quinn Scholar. I am lucky and feel honored to share these four days here with colleagues and with Mr. Quinn. I don’t have enough words to describe this great opportunity. I know I am on the right path because I am a proud Spring 2007 Chips Quinn Scholar

-- Gabriela Gonzalez, Spring Scholar, Ventura County (Calif.) Star and California State University-Northridge