Interns are the best part of summer at The N&O. They learn from us — and teach us.
Ignore the copperheads, humidity and all the jibber-jabber about the non-hockey hurricane season. And definitely forget the Triangle’s recent pattern of weird weekend weather.
Ignore and forget all of it.
Because this is the best time of the year.
It’s intern season.
Not only did Dead & Company think Raleigh was retro-coolish enough for a tour stop, boomer Deadhead readers soon will notice new N&O bylines popping up like mushrooms.
Dead & Company are touting this gig as “The Final Tour,” but many of our interns will start their professional journeys here in Raleigh.
In this summer twist, the oldies and the youngsters find a similar “Space.”
Interns are ‘the future of journalism’
N&O editor Jessica Banov does a great job of leading our internship program, from vetting the hundreds of applicants each fall to communicating regularly with them in the months leading up to their first day.
Says Jessica, “They inspire me with their enthusiasm for an ever-changing and challenging industry. And while they remind me how much things have changed, they also reignite my own passion for journalism.”
We’re thrilled that The N&O’s 2023 program has 10 interns this summer. They got here because of talent, ambition and a desire to enhance your knowledge of the Triangle and our state.
“At the risk of sounding very cheesy, these interns really are the future of journalism,” Jessica summarizes so well.
Please meet:
▪ Brianna Atkinson, a Raleigh native, who graduated this spring from UNC-Chapel Hill with degrees in psychology and journalism. She will work with our metro team.
▪ Anna Connors, a rising senior at UNC-Chapel Hill, is a Morehead-Cain Scholar and double major in journalism and global studies. She joins our visuals team. (More about Anna later.)
▪ Elizabeth Egan graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with degrees in media and journalism and global studies. She will be working at The News & Observer as part of the Dow Jones News Fund’s 2023 Internship Program, with a focus on business reporting.
▪ Madison Hricik is a recent graduate of James Madison University, where she studied media arts & design, with a minor in sports communications. She will cover sports this summer.
▪ Jazper Lu, is a rising junior studying political science and public policy at Duke University. He interns for NC Insider and will contribute politics coverage.
▪ Steven Matthews is a rising sophomore at North Carolina A&T University, where he is studying journalism and mass communication. He will be part of our service journalism team.
▪ Chrysta Nichols is a rising junior at North Carolina A&T University, where she is a multimedia journalism major. She will be part of our audience growth team.
▪ Makiya Seminera graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in international studies and Arabic and a minor in mass communication. She will be part of our state politics team.
▪ Andrea Tamayo is a graduate of the University of Florida, where she earned degrees in microbiology and cell science and international studies. She is working at The N&O as a AAAS Mass Media Fellow, a program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
▪ Jayla Webb is a rising junior at Benedict College, where she is majoring in mass communications with a minor in marketing. She will join our audience growth team.
A summer of training sessions and assignments
The internship is a mix of training sessions and journalism assignments. We treat interns like full-time journalists, meaning they’ll handle everything from breaking news to long-term reports. We take pride in preparing them for whatever the future may hold.
N&O editors probably benefit more from the revolving summer internship classes.
Says Visuals Editor Scott Sharpe, “We bring in some incredibly smart and enthusiastic interns and often learn from them, especially in how people consume digital content. Our photo intern Anna Connors brings a fresh eye and passion that is contagious within our team. Interns like Anna help keep some of us ‘seasoned’ pros young.”
Bill Church is executive editor of The News & Observer. He used to wear Jerry Garcia ties.
