Three Journalists Inspire Young Storytellers

Tatsha Robertson stood in a Harlem bed and breakfast, staring at the television screen. A plane had just crashed into the World Trade Center. Moments later, the second one hit. She was supposed to have been on one of those flights, which had departed from Boston originally headed to Los Angeles.

“I had just convinced my editor (at the Boston Globe) to send me to New York instead of Los Angeles,” she, as the paper's former New York bureau chief, told a crowd of student journalists, media professionals, supporters as well as alumni and educators from the University of St. Thomas. “If we had taken that flight to L.A. like we were supposed to, I wouldn’t be here.”

It was one of many career moments that both tested and affirmed Robertson’s belief in trusting her instincts.

“From then on, I taught myself: fight for what you have passion for,” she said. “We need truth-tellers. We need people exactly like the young people in this audience.” 

Robertson, who is editor-in-chief of the digital media outlet The Root and a former editor for People magazine and Essence, was one of three featured speakers at the 2025 ThreeSixty Journalism Homecoming gala. The event, featuring music from DJ and emerging media major Marquan Harper '28, was held at the Minneapolis Club to celebrate the high school journalism program housed at the College of Arts and Sciences at St. Thomas.  

Also speaking at the event moderated by FOX 9’s Chenue Her, were New York Times correspondent Ernesto Londoño and Best Buy executive (and former journalist) Miles Trump, a St. Thomas alum. Introduced by ThreeSixty alumni Alexis Aryeequaye and Ayanna Melander ’28, and Racial Justice Initiative Founding Director Yohuru Williams, each speaker shared their own story of transformation and the enduring power of journalism, and each received a special honor from the program. 

Robertson, who received ThreeSixty’s Opening Doors Award, didn’t always know journalism was her calling, but she has known since she was a child that stories had power. She grew up in low-income neighborhoods in Boston and Greenville, South Carolina, raised by a single mother who pasted poetry on the walls and wrote skits for her children to act out. 

“She always wanted to be a writer,” Robertson said about her mom. “We didn’t have much, but her words were everywhere. I think that’s where I got the writing bug.” 

As a teenager, Robertson joined her high school newspaper and eventually received a master’s degree in journalism. By her twenties, she was a reporter at the Star Tribune. 

“They didn’t coddle you,” she said. “If you had talent, they let you use it.” 

But it wasn’t just the newsroom that shaped her. In her spare time, she mentored students through the Urban Journalism Workshop, which would later become ThreeSixty Journalism. 

“ThreeSixty teaches more than skills,” she said. “It teaches belief. And that’s what changes lives.” 

ThreeSixty Journalism Executive Director Kenzie O'Keefe believes that volunteers like Robertson "are the engine that power everything ThreeSixty does." Opportunities range from writing coaches, editors, guest speakers and more.

"They serve as mentors and models for what's possible to students as they progress in storytelling careers, and they open doors to opportunities in the work," O'Keefe said.

As ThreeSixty Journalism begins its school year programming, students from across Minnesota will once again learn the art of asking better questions, telling untold stories, and stepping into their own voices. 

“We build community and a sense of professional possibility through journalism education,” O’Keefe said. “We equip the hundreds of young people who come through our programs each year with a premiere education and powerful ongoing network of support as they pursue journalism careers and beyond.” 

That same belief carried Miles Trump ’11 MBA ’20  into his career. As a college junior majoring in journalism at St. Thomas, he applied to be a videographer for the ThreeSixty summer camp. He didn’t get the job, but he got something better: a mentor. 

“Dave Nimmer saw something in me,” Trump said about the retired St. Thomas journalism faculty member. “He didn’t just say no, he walked me down the hall and helped me find a different opportunity. It ended up being a very pivotal moment in my life” 

Nimmer introduced Trump to the then-ThreeSixty Journalism Executive Director Lynda McDonnell and St. Thomas videographer Brad Jacobson. McDonnell hired him as a summer intern and he served as a video production assistant for Jacobson.  

“That was the first of many doors that Dave opened up for me, and every door led to another one,” Trump said.  

Trump became a reporter at Minnesota newspapers, including the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Waseca County News and Faribault Daily News. Eventually Trump’s path brought him back to ThreeSixty Journalism in 2015 as a program manager, then in 2020 he became a board member of its leadership council. Today, he works as an associate director of content, planning and enablement at Best Buy. Best Buy is a sponsor of ThreeSixty and the homecoming gala. 

“ThreeSixty is about helping young people walk through doors they didn’t even know were there,” he said. “And once they’re inside, giving them the tools to thrive.” 

He added: “I learned more about life than journalism from this program. It’s not just about creating great reporters. It’s about helping people become great people.” 

For Ernesto Londoño, who was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia, his journey into journalism also began in college. He received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Miami. He held reporting jobs at the Dallas Morning News and the Washington Post, where he covered the Pentagon and the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan and the Arab Spring. In 2014, he joined the New York Times as an editorial writer, and later the Brazil bureau chief. 

After working on his book, Trippy, he became a national correspondent covering the Midwest for the New York Times. He is based in Minneapolis-St. Paul area. ThreeSixty gave him its “Widening the Circle Award.” 

Throughout his speech, Londoño provided three pieces of advice for young journalists. The first is to take personal mental health seriously and engage in self care. 

“It’s really rough in this line of work, and it’s vital that you take that seriously,” he said.  

He also encouraged young journalists to cultivate mentors. 

“When you become a bigshot, pay it forward. Make mentorship part of your approach to journalism.” 

He said journalism is an art, not a science. “It takes years to find your voice and build a strong spine against the world. But mentorship will help you get there.” 

His last piece of advice was “to keep the faith,” and know that ethical and gifted storytellers are needed now more than ever during these challenging times.  

“Journalism will not solve all the world’s problems. But I, for one, do not want to live in a world without a strong and vibrant press.”