Grinnell Alum Forges Own Journalism Career Pathway

When Nick El Hajj ’24 arrived at Grinnell College from his native Lebanon, he couldn’t have known the exciting — and unexpected — journey that was ahead.

El Hajj brought with him his sense of curiosity, an interest in writing, and an outgoing nature. While he started his time at Grinnell with an eye for a biology-related career, El Hajj is now telling the stories of everyday Iowans as a Des Moines Register reporter.

Learning Inside and Outside the Classroom

El Hajj said his pathway became obvious by his second year.

“Kind of on a whim, I applied for The Scarlet & Black as a student employee staff writer, and I had never written a news or journalism article in my life,” he said. “You kind of get the journalism bug, and you get hooked.”

El Hajj decided to follow his instincts and switched his academic focus to political science and economics, critical areas of expertise for success in journalism.

Over the next few years, El Hajj proved himself an able reporter at The S&B, moving from staff writer to editor and, in his fourth year, to co-editor in chief. In that same time, he took advantage of two key internship opportunities: one at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and another at the Associated Press Bureau in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

That unique combination of academic study and real-world news reporting set up El Hajj for success after graduation.

Finding His Niche

“I knew I wanted to stay in Iowa, and I knew I wanted to give TV news a shot,” El Hajj said of his first post-graduation steps.

Those interests brought him to Cedar Rapids CBS affiliate KGAN Channel 2, where he picked up several new skills and adapted to a different pace of work.

“It was a whole new ball game; editing video, hauling a camera around, interviewing people live, wrangling personalities,” he said. “I realized I wanted to get into print journalism to do the deep work I was yearning for.”

He didn’t have to yearn for long. El Hajj seized his next opportunity at the Des Moines Register, and now he reports on a range of topics that impact people statewide.

One thing he loves about his career is the ability to follow his gut and find meaningful stories in out-of-the-way places — one timely example being increased cancer rates in Iowa.

“Perhaps it’s from my Grinnell days, but my niche is rural affairs,” he said. “My passion is taking the paper to places it doesn’t frequently go to. These are people whose voices matter.”

El Hajj’s academic and career journey didn’t go as expected. That didn’t stop him from finding a fulfilling livelihood after graduation.

As he took each new step on his path toward a career in journalism, El Hajj said his curiosity and persistence were well fostered at Grinnell.

“It’s easy to say ‘follow your interests.’ But seriously, students shouldn’t be afraid to try new things. Grinnell allows you the room to explore what you’re interested in,” El Hajj said. “I know it’s cliché, but actually pick something you’re interested in and, for God’s sake, give it a try.”