1. Motivation is described in the dictionary as a reason for someone to act a certain way or an incentive.
NBA star Lebron James,for example, is motivated by wanting to be one of the greatest players ever.
These motives can be tangible or intangible but both can hold significant weight within a person; a cliché
used to describe this would be someone having a “chip on their shoulder.” One person that especially
holds true for is this summer’s Radio a La Carte host and staff writer for MSU’s The Reporter newspaper,
Wes Huntington. Born on the autism spectrum, Huntington has been motivated by numerous naysayers
who said he would never make it to this position in his life, where his proverbial “chip” has catapulted
him to heights some didn’t believe he’d be able to achieve.
Growing up on the spectrum
Growing up with autism can be difficult for some. Grade school can be a cruel place without a disorder
but the tough times will usually come from students, not in Huntington’s case.
“I took special education classes and speech classes all the way until my seventh grade year,”
Huntington said. “In eighth grade I was told [by a teacher] I would not be able to get a post-secondary
education.”
Huntington never wavered after hearing these pessimistic claims; he used them as fuel to
becoming the successfulguy he already is today. He’s already earned a bachelors degree in creative
writing from Southwest Minnesota State University and is going for another degree in mass media with a
political science minor here at MSU; motivated by a “chip” he said started in eighth grade.
“They also told me I could never learn a second language; I ended up proving a couple people
wrong,” he expressed joyously. “I’m going on my second bachelors and I took four years of Spanish in
high school.”
From SMSU to KMSU
Although Huntington is new to KMSU, he is not new to broadcasting. While a student at SMSU,
Huntington worked for a student-run radio station called KSSU, where he had his own broadcast show,
the Huntley Hour, from 10p.m. to midnight every Tuesday. He described the transition from KSSU to
KMSU to be “frightening” mostly because he didn’t know what to expect from a university radio station
not run by students.
“I thought ‘I know students are probably here for mass media and probably want to learn
broadcasting,’” he said. “So when I found out that KMSU was not that I was thinking to myself like ‘okay
that’s a little crazy.’”
Huntington loved having free reign over his KSSU show, he hated the terrible time slot because it
was so late at night and his family was never really awake to hear it. Doing Radio a La Carte show,which
airs every day from noon to 1 p.m., he loves that his dad can listen in every day.
Learning from Mistakes
Even with the success Huntington has enjoyed in his college years,he has had some missteps
along the way that have allowed him to become a better writer, broadcaster,and person. One instance that
surely humbled him was a time back at SMSU where he was a staff writer for the SMSU Spur, where he

2. had added in quotes into an article about an upcoming play that his interviewee didn’t actually say, in
order to reach his word count limit.
“The story was done on a Friday, and I had gone home that weekend so I came back the
following Tuesday to my editor in-chief and an academic advisor wanting to speak to me,” he explained.
“They said the drama club read the article, thought it ridiculous, and called for me to be fired among other
things.”
Huntington then had an ultimatum; either be fired or stay on staff and risk a possible expulsion
under plagiarism parameters. Well he chose the former, something that has taught him that
misrepresentation of someone’s words is a huge no-no in the media world.
“I’ve learned if I want to make sure that I haven’t done anything wrong, I’ll send the story to the
interviewee first to make sure I don’t misquote them at all. I just don’t want a repeat of before,” he said.
The Wesley Whatnot Show
Learning from these mistakes, Huntington said, has made him better broadcaster. He cites Karen
Wright as someone has been very helpful in his growth on the Radio a La Carte show.
“I remember she told me I couldn’t say the word ‘suck’ on the air because it doesn't sound
professional,” he said.
Along with help from Karen,he also said a couple things that help are the fact that his dad listens
to the show every day and gives him pointers on what he can do better, and also he records one show a
week just to see how he can improve himself.
“I’ve slowed down and I’ve gotten rid of my nervous laugh that I used to do,” he said. “I don’t do
that nearly as much as I used to.”
Huntington didn’t discover his love for broadcasting until stumbling upon the Huntley Hour
while at SMSU. His growth and resolve beating the odds and proving people wrong have made him
someone destined for future success. Some people just need a little motivation to take them a long way. In
Huntington’s case,it propelled him to a bachelors degree in creative writing and now going onto another
degree.
Don’t expect his autism to stop him now, that “chip” isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.