Before Dometi Pongo became a journalist at MTV

Before he worked the red carpet at the Grammys...

And before he hosted the television series True Life Crime… 

And even before he became a journalist at MTV…. 

Before all of that, Dometi Pongo was a student at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He wasn’t an English major, but he took African American literature courses every year during his time as a student. 

Outside of class, he produced mixtapes, and he performed in shows on campus. He traveled to New York City with students in the Black Studies program. 

Above all else, Dometi Pongo established himself as an active contributor to the creative and intellectual life of the university. 

Related:
• A Notebook on the upcoming Dometi Pongo to visit to SIUE