August 19, 2026
For Parker Songco ’26CCPS, a lifelong connection to St. John’s University was just the beginning. His time at the University would take him from the pages of The Torch to internships covering New York sports and culture, and pivotal internship abroad. Along the way, he turned his passions for basketball, music, and storytelling into a global college experience.
“St. John’s has been around me my entire life,” explained the native of North Bellmore, NY. “My dad went here for his undergraduate degree, and my mom got her master’s at St. John’s. I’ve been going to Men’s Basketball games at Carnesecca Arena and hitting up Double J Deli since I was 10 years old.”
With that in mind, when it came to choosing a school, St. John’s was at the top of his list. Its location was a big part of the appeal, too. As someone who grew up just a short drive from the Queens, NY, campus, Mr. Songco liked the idea of being close enough to home while still having the opportunity to experience all that New York City has to offer.
“I could just go back home whenever I wanted, but was far enough away that I could grow on my own,” he explained. “It also helps that St. John’s is located in the best borough of the greatest city in the world.”
Mr. Songco lived on campus in the Residence Village for his first two years at St. John’s before moving to a nearby off-campus apartment with some friends. “Living on campus is part of the textbook college experience,” he said. “Staying up late with the guys is what I’ll miss most from college.”
“I always enjoyed writing in high school, but I had no experience in high school writing for the school paper. What drew me to journalism was the opportunity to cover fields that I’ve been obsessed with my whole life, specifically music and basketball.”
The St. John’s journalism program provides students with a strong foundation in all the fundamentals of the field inside the classroom. But for Mr. Songco, it was the offices of The Torch where that foundation translated into confidence in pursuing a career in journalism.
“As a first-year student, I was so new to the world of journalism that I was too scared to go to the first meetings of the semester,” he recalled. “I eventually got over that feeling and joined and realized that participating in The Torch could be such a fun experience. I would recommend it to every journalism student at St. John’s, even if it’s just contributing from time to time. It also looks good on your résumé, gives you practice in the field, and you’ll make some friends, too.”
“St. John’s University Career Services helped me secure my first internship at local newspaper, amNY through Handshake,” Mr. Songco said, referring to the online career network and job board used by St. John’s to connect college students and employers. “At amNY, I made some great friends, got to see my work both online and in print, and do some social media work. I also got to cover some pretty cool events in person, such as BIG EAST Conference Media Day and the Global Citizen Festival.”
Like many St. John’s students, Mr. Songco participated in the Global Passport program during his first year at St. John’s. “I got to see the city for the first time, and immediately knew I wanted to study there for a whole semester,” he said. “As a study-abroad student, you are likely never going to have the ability to travel from country to country ever again in your life. I was lucky to be able to travel with friends, make new ones along the way, and have memories that will last forever.”
During the St. John’s Men’s Basketball team’s deep run in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, Mr. Songco decided to celebrate Dylan Darling’s historic buzzer-beater that lifted the team over Kansas by setting up a special exhibit in what is arguably the world’s most well-known art museums, The Louvre.
“I remember being in class the day after St. John’s made it to the Sweet 16, and on a whim, I decided I was going to go to the Louvre after class,” he explained.
However, before heading to the museum, he printed out a photo of Dylan celebrating after the game. He carried the photo through the Louvre, eventually taping it to a wall before posting a video of the moment online. It quickly went viral.
“Where else could you do something like that?” he asked. “Paris is like none other.”
With help from the University’s Office of International Education, Paris Center team, and Michael A. Rizzo, Director of the Journalism Program and Associate Professor, he secured a coveted internship at World Radio Paris (WRP), a nonprofit English-language radio station in France.
“In order for me to stay on track to graduate early, I had to complete my final six program credits while abroad—and an internship was the only way to do that,” he explained. “I explained my situation and they all helped me explore internship opportunities in Paris for the spring.”
Matthieu Dessier, Assistant Director, St. John’s Paris Center, discovered an opportunity at WRP and put Mr. Songco in contact with the station’s director, who was fully on board with the idea of him interning. “It was a great experience to be able to get even more practice in the field, all while in a foreign country,” he said. “While most of my experience was in print journalism, interning for the radio broadened my skill set, as I was able to get my feet wet with editing and recording audio.”
Through the experience, he learned to record his own radio content and podcasts, and was able to interview one of his rappers, MAVI. “I had been listening to him since high school, and saw that he was doing a free show in Paris, so I reached out to his team and they were open to an interview,” he said. “I recorded and edited the segment and put it up on our socials. It was such a fulfilling experience.”
Through his experiences in New York and Paris, Mr. Songco not only gained valuable experience as a journalist, but also discovered just how much could happen when he took advantage of the opportunities available to him at St. John’s. Now, as he reflects on his time at the University and prepares to enter the next chapter of his life, he is grateful for the people and experiences that helped shape his journey.
“I’ve barely started life after college, but when I look back and can say that I completed a second internship while in a foreign country and graduated a year early, it’s something I don’t take for granted,” he said. “I’m very grateful to all who helped me along the way and invested their time into helping me.”