Kiali Wong credits AAJA-Los Angeles’ partnership with The Orange County Register for opening a door that proved invaluable. After five weeks with the copy desk in fall 2012, Kiali joined the Register’s staff as a copy editor for the weekly editions.

The AAJA-LA internship marked Kiali’s second at the Register. She first arrived as a Chips Quinn Scholar in summer 2012 and contributed to the Register’s coverage of the city of Irvine.

In May 2012 Kiali graduated from Arizona State University. During her senior year she collaborated with AAJA-Arizona and a handful of fellow Cronkite School students to found AAJA-ASU, of which she was president. The position came on the heels of Kiali’s participation in the 2011 AAJA Voices program — an opportunity that AAJA members Aric Johnson and Abe Kwok had encouraged her to seek.

From Voices to the Arizona chapter and now L.A., Kiali said she is grateful for each friend, mentor and opportunity to come her way through AAJA.