ASU Trustee and Cronkite Alumni Hall of Fame inductee Christine Devine to give convocation speech


November 21, 2022

ASU Trustee and Cronkite Alumni Hall of Fame inductee Christine Devine will deliver the keynote address at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication fall 2022 convocation.

The ceremony will take place at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 14, at Desert Financial Arena, 600 E. Veterans Way in Tempe. The convocation will celebrate the accomplishments of 318 graduates who are expected to receive their diplomas. Portrait of ASU Trustee and Cronkite Alumni Hall of Fame inductee Christine Devine. ASU Trustee and Cronkite Alumni Hall of Fame inductee Christine Devine. Photo courtesy Christine Devine Download Full Image

Devine is an award-winning television news anchor with Fox 11 Los Angeles, where she has worked for more than 30 years, and an active Cronkite School alumna who generously supports the school and ASU. In 2007, she endowed the Christine Devine Scholarship, which provides scholarship support each year to students in the Cronkite School.

Devine is also an ASU Trustee and serves on ASU’s Los Angeles Leadership Council. She is one of about 16,000 Cronkite School graduates.

“Christine has been one of the most ardent supporters of the Cronkite School and we’re honored to have her come back and speak to our students,” said Cronkite School Dean Battinto L. Batts Jr. “Throughout her career, she has exemplified what it means to be a proud Cronkite School graduate.”

Devine has won numerous awards for her journalism work, including 16 Emmys, the Governors Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Lifetime Achievement Golden Mic from the Radio and Television News Association.

In June, she received the 2022 President’s Award for Impact on Media from the Los Angeles Press Club at the 64th annual SoCal Journalism Awards Gala.

“I have lived by the motto ‘to whom much is given, much is expected.’ I realized early on all that was given to me, and it was at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication that I learned the tools to share the stories of the communities I love and serve,” Devine said. “I’m excited to share my story — and guidance — with Cronkite’s Class of 2022 and future leaders of the news and communications industry.”

Devine has dedicated much of her journalism career to aiding children in the foster care system due to her personal connection to the cause. Her parents adopted a child, as well as fostered five refugee children during her childhood.

One of Devine’s most notable pieces of work is hosting the weekly “Wednesday’s Child” segment on Fox 11. The segment has been on the air for more than 25 years and aims to highlight foster children that are in need of homes in the LA area. Through this segment alone, more than 500 children have been adopted.

In 2012, Devine was named in Los Angeles Magazine among the “50 Women Changing LA” for her work with foster care. She received an honorary doctorate degree from Cal State LA in the school of social work.

She was also honored in Washington, D.C., as a congressional “Angel in Adoption” and by the Child Welfare League of America.

Devine has also played reporter roles in a number of movies and television shows, including "The Cable Guy," "Wag the Dog," "American Horror Story" and "Beverly Hills, 90210."

Prior to joining Fox 11, she also worked at KLST in San Angelo, Texas, and KVOA in Tucson, Arizona.

Jamar Younger

Associate Editor, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication

ASU earns No. 2 ranking for Teach for America recruitment


November 21, 2022

For the past seven years, Arizona State University has been a top producer of Teach for America corps members — a trend that continues in 2022 with ASU coming in at No. 2 in the country among large schools.

“Teach For America identifies student leaders who deeply understand the value of educational equity,” said Krishnaa Pradhan, a recruiter for Teach for America and an ASU alum. “ASU stands out in making a college education accessible to students with diverse backgrounds, and many Sun Devils reflect the identities of our corps members and students.” Portrait of ASU student and Teach for America corps member Corbin Kohtz. Teach for America corps member Corbin Kohtz. Photo courtesy Corbin Kohtz Download Full Image

Teach for America (TFA) is a nonprofit organization that recruits top recent college graduates to teach in low-income communities throughout the United States. TFA corps members spend two years in the classroom supporting the educational and personal development of underserved students.

ASU’s No. 2 ranking reflects a total of 36 Sun Devils participating in the 2022 corps, which comprises a group of 1,600 total educators from 1,300 colleges and universities, and represents the most diverse corps in its history: 58% of incoming corps members identify as people of color; 65% come from low-income backgrounds; and one in three are the first in their family to graduate college.

The selection process for Teach for America is rigorous. Along with demonstrating a high academic standard, corps members must participate in interviews, teach a sample lesson and prepare a proposal for a case study on racial disparities.

With educational access a key part of ASU and TFA’s respective missions, Pradhan says Sun Devils are well positioned to have an impact in the program.

“Sun Devils demonstrate strong leadership in Teach for America’s application process, during their two years in the classroom as a corps member and as alumni in crucial industries. We are proud to have ASU represented as the second-highest contributing school for TFA for the first time in history,” she said.

One of this year’s new corps members is Corbin Kohtz, who is from Phoenix and will serve with TFA in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Kohtz will graduate from ASU in spring 2023 with degrees in communication and political science and a minor in English literature from Barrett, the Honors College and The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

There were a number of factors that inspired Kohtz to pursue serving with Teach for America, including his experience as a student worker at ASU and the topics he researched for his degrees.

“While working in career and professional development services, I met Veronica Aguilar, currently working at TFA, and Julia Tebben, who were both connected to TFA and introduced me to the program,” Kohtz said. “During my junior year, I started investing time into research in rhetorical studies and decided I wanted to direct my research towards education at large, but I wanted exposure in a classroom.”

Kohtz said that working with Teach for America in a Title I school will provide ample opportunity to experience the education industry before he pursues further opportunities in research and education.

The application deadline for Teach for America is Feb. 10, 2023. Learn more about the program here.

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