(Editor’s Note: This is the fifth in a series of stories about Bellisario College students completing summer internships.)
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — For Penn State journalism student Morayo Ogunbayo, chats with her parents have often centered around politics and news headlines. Those family conversations helped set the foundation for her career path.
“Journalists were really respected in my house,” she said. “I think that made me want to become one.”
Ogunbayo kept that energy through high school as captain of the debate team and writer/editor for the school news magazine. She saw an opening to continue her passion at Penn State. She earned a Bunton-Waller fellowship through the Schreyer Honors College and saw a wealth of opportunity at the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications.
“Growing up in New York, Penn State is always on your radar,” she said. “I knew Penn State had a big and extremely prestigious journalism program.”
In high school, Ogunbayo moved to Atlanta. She visited the University Park campus her senior year, and that visit sealed the deal. She recalls touring the Carnegie Building and walking through campus.
“I always knew that there were great sports and good people. That made me really excited to want to go,” she said. “So, I came and toured, and I remember thinking that this is a really nice college town. I really liked it.”
This summer, Ogunbayo finds herself on the other side of the country. She is the features intern for the San Francisco Chronicle. Meetings with editors and other writers are virtual, but she covers stories and conducts interviews in person. Just a couple weeks into the internship, she had already completed five articles.
“Every day I wake up and see what I need to do. I make sure photos are in and I set up interviews,” she said. “I interview people and I beg sources for things they need to send me.”
Ogunbayo reports to the editor of Datebook, the Chronicle’s arts and entertainment section. She likes the freedom of reporting in the field and meeting and interviewing people in person. She also appreciates the weekly virtual meetings with the paper’s features team.
“It’s been cool to be able to do a lot of my own thing,” she said, “but also have close guidance to make sure I'm doing it right.”
In her first month, Ogunbayo covered Juneteenth celebrations, a film festival and a premiere of a TV series. She interviewed poets, producers and community organizers. Although it’s been surprisingly cold, she has enjoyed San Francisco and learning about the city. Writing is Ogunbayo’s favorite part of journalism and she loves seeing her byline.
“Seeing an article you wrote published in the paper has always been really cool,” she said.