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World Changers
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CONNIE CHUNG
Connie Chung at CBS in New York
Connie Chung is the first Asian-Pacific American anchor in national television. The secret to her success is just plain hard work. Connie was born on August 20, 1946, in Washington, D.C. Her father had been an officer in the Chinese Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek's intelligence agency. In the early 1940s, living conditions were terrible in Shanghai where the Chung family lived. China had been under attack by Japan for several years and there were shortages of food, and diseases were widespread. Five of William and Margaret Chung's children died in infancy and their parents decided to move to the United States to save the rest of their children. Connie was the only one out of ten children who was born in the United States. Mr. Chung believed that his daughters would have a better life in the United States. At that time, women in China were not yet considered equal to men. Connie had a happy childhood and she grew up in a big wonderful family. There were parties and picnics with friends and neighbors. Like many Chinese families, the Chungs had a tradition of high regard for education and Connie wanted to be successful to perpetuate the family name for her father, in place of her brothers, who died in infancy. Connie started her career as a secretary for a local Washington TV station, with hopes of becoming a newswriter. Whenever a new story came into the station, Connie volunteered to cover it. She gained valuable experience and was soon sent to cover major stories, like the 1972 Nixon-McGovern presidential campaign and the Watergate hearings. After that, she became one of the most successful journalists in broadcasting. She was involved with several television projects at one time. In addition to anchoring the CBS nightly news, she also hosted her own prime-time TV shows and special reports. The topics of her shows ranged from interviewing celebrities to reporting current findings on stress and aging. In 1987, Connie visited China for the first time. She met her relatives and visited her grandparents' graves. She talked with her relatives about how World War II and China's Cultural Revolution affected their family. It was an emotional experience for her. Connie Chung is an example of an outstanding woman anchor. Her hard work, intelligence, and honesty are just a few reasons that she has become one of the nation's leading television journalists. Connie Chung has changed the world we live in, where a lot of minority people can't have an equal opportunity just because they are not white. Her success shows us that if people try their best, anyone can be at the top of their field. Julienne Lee
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