Intern at The Reporters, Inc.
What organization did you intern with? Where is it located?
I interned with The Reporters Inc. in Richfield, MN. They are a nonprofit news organization that advocates for social justice.
How did you find out about the internship?
I found this internship through a Handshake post.
What were your responsibilities?
At The Reporters Inc, I wrote my own article for publication throughout the summer, learning along the way how to improve my writing skills and perform effective interviews. I also helped my boss perform research for other articles and documentaries he was looking at! Another task I had was improving the social media of The Reporters by trying to learn how to properly boost and advertise articles.
What did you most enjoy about your role?
In my role at The Reporters, I enjoyed most that I was the only intern. This allowed for me to receive helpful feedback frequently, and to not feel bad about asking a multitude of questions.
What did you learn from your internship experience?
I learned that I need to press more for answers when I am interviewing people. Too many times while working on my article, I wouldn't get the answers I was looking for from sources and would instead accept vague answers that sometimes avoided the initial question all together. I learned that it is my job to push for these answers, as if I don't, who will? The Reporters helped instill the importance of assertiveness in my journalism work.
How will this internship set you up for success in your future studies or your career?
In the future, I hope to be a TV news reporter and although what I did at The Reporters was print focused, vital journalism skills and values were encouraged every day at my internship. What will help me most in my career from this internship is the confidence I have gained in reaching out to sources for interviews.
What is one piece of advice you would give other students seeking an exciting internship?
I would like to encourage students to take the uncomfortable leap that comes with finding an internship. I waited too long to apply to opportunities in my college career because I never felt ready enough for an internship. Eventually, I just decided to apply to them anyways, and I realized it's okay to not know how to do things, that's why we're students!
