Recent University of Wisconsin graduate Marlén Gongora will spend the next 12 weeks reporting on health, wellness, health equity and aging in a full-time internship.
Gongora, originally from Chicago, earned a degree in communication arts earlier this month. In an interview for the It’s Only 10 Minutes podcast, she said she brings a unique perspective as a first-generation college graduate.
“I’m the oldest in my family, so I really didn’t have anyone to talk to about these things,” she said. “Obviously, my family’s really proud of me. They always told me they don’t know how I did school for so long, and that they wouldn’t be able to do it themselves. It was hard for them, at first, just letting like their firstborn to leave the state … It wasn’t until recently that all my family visited campus for commencement that they really understood that letting me go was like probably the best decision. I honestly don’t think if I stayed in Chicago I would have like branched out like I am today. … Just putting myself in an environment that’s so different from Chicago. It’s scary, but it kind of allowed me to push myself, put myself out there and just experience new things and learn.”
The health reporting internship is funded by the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Madison365 maintains full editorial independence.
