John Nguyen

Originally from Shakopee, MN, John graduated from St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN, with a degree in Economics and Hispanic Studies. 

Katy Beem: How were you inspired into broadcast journalism?
John Nguyen: “My freshman year, I had the opportunity to apply and receive the general manager position for our student-run radio station, KJNB Radio. I had that leadership position until senior year when I transitioned to more of an advisor role. And starting my sophomore year, I wrote for the student newspaper. It was such a fun experience. And then I got the Gary Eichten Fellowship with Minnesota Public Radio. That was a combination of journalism for print and radio. It was so cool to work with so many professional and established reporters, editors, newscasters, and I really wanted to continue that forward. So that led me to here.”

KB: What was your beat at MPR?
JN:  “General assignment. For example, one day I'll be covering the Special Olympics Summer Games at the University of St Thomas. The next, I'd be covering extreme weather happening in Southeast Minnesota with all the flooding going on and farmers. It ranged from mental health in farming communities to topics like that.”

KB: Tell us about your internship in Washington, DC.

JN: “I was a communications intern for the Washington Office on Latin America, which is a human rights research nonprofit. I managed all the social media and collaborated on research and analytical work.”

KB: How are you feeling about the transition from Minnesota to South Dakota?
JN: “I think it's really connecting with South Dakotans on a personal level, because radio is such an intimate medium for broadcasting. And being that person, being that advocate for the listeners in terms of delivering the news and helping people out in the mornings is a big thing. I love talking to people, getting to know people like face-to- face, but also given that we're in the most southeast corner of the state – there's so much more out there that many people might not realize and everybody has a story. It's about telling it. That's important.”

Morning Editionwith SDPB host John Nguyen airs weekdays, 5am-9am (4-8am MT), on SDPB Radio and SDPB.org.