Mengyu Dong (Political Science/History, ‘15) has been awarded a Knight-Hennessy Scholarship to support her graduate studies in journalism at Stanford’s School of Humanities and Sciences. Recipients of this prestigious scholarship are selected from an international pool of applicants based on their independence of thought, purposeful leadership, and civic mindset. In addition to receiving financial support for their graduate programs, Knight-Hennessy Scholars gain exposure to a wide range of disciplines and cultures in their cohort and participate in the King Global Leadership Program, which is designed to develop transformational leadership capabilities.
Mengyu came to UC Berkeley from Beijing, China. As an undergraduate, she cofounded the Datong Society for China Studies, the first student group at Cal dedicated to improving the understanding of historical and social issues in China. Mengyu also discovered her passion for storytelling at Berkeley. In her senior year, she received the Matsui Fellowship for Public Service, which allowed her to spend a semester studying and working in Washington, DC. There, she studied journalism and connected with working journalists, her first hands-on experience with news reporting.
Since graduating from Cal, Mengyu has conducted research and reporting for numerous publications in the U.S., Europe, and China, including the Voice of America, the Financial Times, the Los Angeles Review of Books, Rest of World, and Initium Media. Her work focuses on information control, grassroots resistance, and minority rights. She aspires to bring quality journalism to both English and Chinese audiences through open-source investigation and data-driven storytelling. In addition to journalism, she strives to improve access to education for children in rural China.
At Stanford, Mengyu hopes to hone her skills in data-driven storytelling and open-source investigation to pursue her aspiration to bring quality information to both Chinese and English audiences. In addition to developing her own stories, she looks forward to supporting her fellow journalists, particularly those from minority groups and diverse backgrounds, to combat misinformation worldwide.
Mengyu’s advice for future applicants to the Knight-Hennessy and other competitive programs: “Go for it! You may learn something about yourself regardless of the result. Don’t be shy about reaching out to your professors, mentors, and friends. They’ve got your back!”
For more information about the Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program, please visit https://scholarships.berkeley.edu/knight-hennessy.