Chips Quinn Scholars write about internship experiences
Compiled by Kate Kennedy
freedomforum.org
04.02.03
Their expectations were ordinary — get practical experience to bolster their journalism studies.
But their experiences were extraordinary.
“Interns should never have the right to complain that they don’t get to do any of the ‘good stuff’,” says Jeremy Verdusco, an intern at the Ocala (Fla.) Star-Banner. “All it takes is determination and circumstance.”
As internships come to an end, 27 Chips Quinn Scholars in the Spring 2003 program are reflecting on their most memorable experiences. Just as they did during orientation in January, Scholars were asked to write a journal entry about their experiences. They wrote about the ordinary, the out of the ordinary and the extraordinary. Here is what they said:
“Normally on a Saturday afternoon, I’d be at the baseball stadium, at a pub or at home doing nothing. A few weeks back, I hung out with Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle,” wrote Kevin Pang of the University of Southern California and an intern at The Arizona Republic in Phoenix.
“Daschle … was in town to speak with a group of seniors about Medicare, HMOs, prescription drug costs and other issues. … After the event, Daschle was interviewed by our rival paper. … When he was done … the press secretary invited me to ride with the senator to his next event. … So there we were, Tom and Kevin, sitting in the back seat chatting away. … He told me he found satisfaction in talking to people and hearing their concerns — and then doing something about them. … After about 20 minutes of political talk … I changed the subject to sports. Turns out he’s big into baseball, as I am, and that he’s a Baltimore Orioles fan because one of their farm teams used to play in his hometown in South Dakota. … Just before we finished, I asked him why he decided not to run for president. … He said if he were elected, he wouldn’t be able to do things like he did today — talk to the common folk, the ‘real’ people as he said.”
Other experiences that won’t soon be forgotten
“My fourth night on the copy desk meant war. I had worked the first eight weeks of my Chips Quinn internship on a senior-oriented weekly insert called Encore! … The Wednesday President Bush’s deadline for Saddam Hussein passed found me working during the day. I put the senior section to bed and visited the slot editor … on my way out. ‘If war breaks out, I’d happily come back in.’ Sure enough, five hours later I assumed my spot on the copy desk. The stories flowed in — wire stories on the ‘decapitation’ strike and local copy from reporters getting reaction. We had a war plan, and pulled it off well. I must say, it was exciting and more than I expected from a 12-week internship. The slot editor dismissed me at 1:30 a.m. It wasn’t a long shift, but it further whetted my appetite for journalism.” — Jeremy Verdusco, Michigan State University, Ocala (Fla.) Star-Banner
|
| Elsa Gunnberg |
“The Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center is 60 miles northeast of Palm Springs. … I had the opportunity to visit the area three times and write stories about my experiences there. The titles of journalist and Chips Quinn Scholar … gave me access to the home of a military family to witness the making of a care package, the privilege of eating an MRE (meal, ready to eat) on the base and an invitation to watch military wives craft yellow ribbons as they hoped for the safe return of their loved ones.”— Elsa Gunnberg, University of Arizona, The Desert Sun, Palm Springs, Calif.
“On the afternoon of Feb. 26, I strolled into the newsroom and checked my mailbox for assignments. One sheet was inside. It read, ‘7 p.m. … City Council Meeting ... Minimum Wage Discussion.’ At 7 p.m., I walked into the Sweeney Convention Center and prepared to take photographs. I didn’t know it at the time, but the meeting would last almost eight hours and the end result would be a historic minimum-wage ordinance that would make Santa Fe the only city in the country to set a wage floor for private businesses. The evening was a true test of stamina. … Almost everyone in the arena took the opportunity to speak … The City Council debated for three more hours. … I remember how resilient the audience was. They sat patiently in aluminum foldout chairs and listened to every speaker, argument and legal analysis. It was clear that the audience cared about the final result of the meeting. The least I could do was to continue shooting to the best of my ability for all eight hours. And that is what I did.” — Jerome Nakagawa, University of California-Berkeley, The Santa Fe New Mexican
“My editor handed me a press release from the National Weather Service saying a Central Oregon man was being recognized by The Weather Channel for his 42 years as a volunteer weatherman. … After reading the release I thought, another 400-pound tomato or city dog-show story. But I tried to remain open-minded about it. … I was very surprised my editor wanted me to drive all the way out there (92 miles). … But I did, and the trip was amazing. I drove past farmland and irrigators, buttes, hills, valleys and rivers. The rancher and his wife were very nice people, and I ended up talking to them for about three hours. … They live 62 miles from the nearest sizable town, Prineville, and mail comes only three times a week. From that day … came my best feature clip. It was a huge reminder not to overlook or write off a story based on how it initially looks. Dig deeper, and the story will come.” — Chris Young, University of California-Los Angeles, The Bulletin, Bend, Ore.
There was a lot to learn
“I learned how a news event can strike close in an emotionally painful way. The Army helicopter accident in Fort Drum, N.Y., was a news event that I initially thought of as distant from me. I learned less than a day later that a close friend from Ohio was on the helicopter and died in the crash. It was my first experience of losing someone close. In a way, it drove home the point that the stories we do often mean something important to someone.” — Norm Narvaja, Cleveland State University, Press & Sun-Bulletin, Binghamton, N.Y.
 |
| Joanne Yuan |
“Precision is the key to everything. That is what I learned the most from the internship. I realized that creativity is always welcome, originality always leads to praise, but getting it correct every single time is what ultimately makes one a journalist.” — Joanne Yuan, Arizona State University, Statesman Journal, Salem, Ore.
“It’s a small town and people often recognize me on the street because I’ve interacted with them for a story. I have learned not to underestimate the power I have as a journalist. This realization is by far the most valuable knowledge I have gained through this internship.”
— Isabelle Gan, Santa Monica College, Press Journal, Vero Beach, Fla.
“You have to be ready for anything. You have to be good at taking chances and jumping into every situation to get the best story possible. You have to be fearless and know that you are always the messenger. I learned to talk to any kind of person and find some way to relate to them no matter who they are. I also learned a lot from the staff writers and how they handle stories. … It’s been a terrific experience.” — Ali Fard, San Jose State University, The Oakland (Calif.) Tribune
 |
| Millete Birhanemaskel |
“I’ve grown so much that it scares me to think about it. … I’ve learned that how you ask a question is key in developing a complete, quality story. The hardest part is knowing five basic things: who the key sources are, how to work those sources, who is in your community, why do they care and why should they care. It seems so easy. But when I read my stories, I can see how I’ve either neglected a part of the community or didn’t ask the tough question. I know I am harder on myself than I should be, but I know that’s the only way to grow.” — Millete Birhanemaskel, Colorado State University, Greeley (Colo.) Tribune
“During my internship I learned to develop confidence in my writing by staying focused on the needs of my reader. … Even the most experienced of writers can be insecure about their writing, but I became a writer so that I could inform, inspire and educate my reader. … Now, when I sit down to write an article, I think about facts, what it will mean to my reader, and I concentrate on packaging it in a creative and informative way. That, I found, is what always should be my goal with an assignment.” — Tamica Theus, California State University-Long Beach, The Santa Fe New Mexican
“I learned … I can do this. I remember (Chips Quinn Coach) Mary Ann Hogan asking: What are you most scared of? All I could think of was: Can I do this? … I had knots in my stomach when I thought about this. But now I am getting knots in my stomach when copy is not in five minutes to deadline. The knots are still there, but the reason behind them has changed. I have confidence in myself, but I still need to learn to relax.” — Heather Shije, University of Tulsa, The News-Press, Fort Myers, Fla.
“I’ve … really enjoyed living somewhere other than my home of Southern California. Not only did I endure a once-in-a-lifetime blizzard, but learned that people in other areas of the country have a different outlook on life and the world. But yet at the same time, we’re all the same. People love to read about people anywhere you go. I definitely will take that lesson with me.” — Ricardo Sanchez Jr., California State University-Fullerton, Greeley Tribune
“Getting to work early and knowing the written and unwritten schedules of the workplace are pretty important. So I suggest this: … know that time doesn’t wait for you. Get in early, anticipate obstacles and know the flow of the newsroom so you can work with it.”
— Dien Magno, San Francisco State University, FLORIDA TODAY, Melbourne
There was a lot to like
“The importance of knowing people in the business was revealed to me. I was assigned (Chips alum) Martin Reynolds as a mentor. … The 30 minutes I spent chatting with him was greater than any piece of advice I received throughout my internship. Everything from what to expect from my peers to how to save money for a new home was discussed. … I definitely will keep in touch with him once my time here is done.” — Colin Atagi, San Jose State University, The Oakland Tribune
 |
| Jan-Mikael Patterson |
“I knew … the staff at the Tribune was going to be great and down to earth. And they have been. On Feb. 9, I received word that my grandfather had passed. Once I told my editor, word spread like wildfire. The staff showed their support and comforted me with pats on my shoulder or hugs. These were people I had known for only about two weeks, and they showed me support. What have I liked most about my internship? The staff and the support from the Tribune and Freedom Forum and how well received I felt after my first day.” — Jan-Mikael Patterson, University of New Mexico-Gallup, >Great Falls (Mont.) Tribune
“The friends I made here made my internship amazing. … I was welcomed here immediately. By the second day, it seemed that the entire newsroom knew my name. That was kind of scary since I didn’t know theirs. Professionally, they gave me confidence in my writing, contacts for future jobs and advice on my articles. … In the end, they gave me a reason to wish I could stay here and a reminder of why I love this business.” — Karen Johnson, Auburn University, The News-Press, Fort Myers
“My first week I got to cover the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and interview some of the celebrity tournament players. The best part? I wrote three A1 stories for it. What I like most about my internship is that my editors are trusting and confident in my abilities, which in turn makes me more confident in my writing skills.” — Nancy Yang, University of Minnesota, The Desert Sun, Palm Springs
“What I liked most about my internship was that I was given great play of my pictures. … What I brought to the paper was a different set of eyes. … I think I started to change the way reporters perceive a photo assignment. I started hearing reporters suggesting photo ideas. … Through my pictures, I hope I added meaning to the lives of the people … in Lancaster.” — Lianne Milton, San Francisco State University, Lancaster (Pa.) New Era
“What I liked most … was how accommodating my editors were to my interests. Only two of us on the news desk were entertainment buffs and I was more into the buzz, which left no one else enthusiastic about reading entertainment stories…. I worked on the stories for the Grammys, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Awards ceremonies. I also enjoyed looking over the page proofs for an annual section my newspaper produces. … I hope my future jobs are like this.” — Lisa Butt, San Jose State University, The Ledger, Lakeland, Fla.
 |
| M. Robyn Jones |
“This was such a great learning experience—one I will never forget. I had a reluctance to do feature writing. … I absolutely love it now, and my human-interest stories have been the ones that I love the most. … Being in this program … has given me the world and reinforced my passion for writing. I know for sure that journalism is what I love because of Chips Quinn.” — M. Robyn Jones, University of Florida, The Dispatch, Lexington, N.C.
“For the first time, I feel like a real, full-fledged reporter. … Maybe I just feel more confident now, and that’s why people take me seriously. … I’m loving the rhythm, the deadlines, the feedback that I’m getting from editors. I’m meeting so many interesting people. Something cool happens just about every day. I’m having a great time.” — Tilde Herrera, San Francisco State University, The Oakland Tribune
“Before I began my internship, I was more concerned with writing sports stories. … I am now considering education as my primary interest in writing. Most of the stories that I worked on for the past three months dealt with education, and these were stories that I produced quite well. … I realized that I am a better education writer than I am sports writer.” — Michael Forbes, Virginia Union University, Lancaster New Era