They’re a talented, multi-skilled and diverse group of college students with a hunger to make a mark in journalism.
They’re The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s summer intern class for 2014.
Well, they were. We said farewell to most of them last week.
But I couldn’t close the book on their tenure without a salute to one of the best classes of college interns the AJC has had.
As coordinator of the newsroom’s internship program – along with Senior Editor Cynthia DuBose – I devote a lot of energy to the selection of our summer interns. Cynthia and I – and some invaluable newsroom helpers — culled through 300 applications from across the country to match skilled student journalists with the newsroom’s – and your - needs.
Some of those needs are obvious: it’s an election year, so we chose one of the most experienced student reporters, Nicholas Fouriezos, to help us cover political races this summer.
Sports coverage attracts millions of readers in print and on our websites, and we were pleased to add two interns – both women, unusual in sports — to help us this summer.
Erica Hernandez is a Cuban-American whose Spanish-language skills came in handy in the Braves clubhouse. Tanya Sichynsky had extensive video experience, which fit perfectly with the AJC’s goal of offering more video content to digital readers.
Data visualization – those nifty interactive graphics you see on MyAJC.com - is an increasingly important aspect of our digital coverage plans, so nabbing Yelin Hong, a master’s candidate in both journalism and computer science, was a coup.
Our commitment to paid student internships continues as many big-city newspapers have abandoned such programs. We’ve expanded ours: adding part-time slots for local students in the spring and fall.
We feel an obligation to help train the journalists of the future, as veterans once trained us. And we think student journalists bring the innovative spirit of the millennial generation to our newsroom.
So belatedly, meet The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s 2014 summer interns:
Nicholas Fouriezos, recent graduate of the University of Georgia, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Red & Black student newspaper. Nick, from Cumming, previously interned at the Baltimore Sun. He graduated in May, so Nick is staying with us through the fall. He is assigned to the Politics team, helping us cover a busy election season, and you've seen his byline several times already on our front page.
Emily Farlow of Mercer University in Macon, where she is Editor-in-Chief of The Cluster student newspaper. A rising senior also from Cumming, Emily worked with the Education team, where she pitched in on Back to School coverage, election night reporting and more.
Yelin Hong of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York. Yelin previously interned at Jinling Evening Newspaper, China's ninth-largest. Yelin worked with our Data Journalism team. Her digital graphic added an online dimension to a front-page story on Georgia's declining prison rates.
Erica Hernandez of the University of Florida, where she has covered sports for the Independent Florida Alligator. A rising senior from the Miami area, Erica previously interned at the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. Erica worked with our Sports team, where she helped us cover the Braves, Falcons, the Atlanta Dream women's basketball team and more.
Tanya Sichynsky of UGA, where she has been Sports Editor and Social Media Editor for the Red & Black. A rising senior from Alpharetta, Tanya broke numerous stories on the UGA football beat this summer. You'll continue to see Tanya's byline in the AJC; she'll be freelance writing about UGA sports from Athens.
Daniel Wilco of the University of North Carolina, where he has been a sports writer and Assistant Sports Editor for the Daily Tar Heel student newspaper. An Atlanta resident, Daniel is a rising senior at UNC. He worked for our breaking news team, where he wrote about the high-profile case of a cyclist hit-and-run in Atlanta.
Taylor West of UGA, where she has been Associate News Editor and a reporter for the Red & Black. A native of Macon, Taylor is a rising senior double-majoring in journalism and International Affairs. She also worked for our breaking news team, where her adaptability caused her to shine whether writing about crime or news features.
Elizabeth Montgomery of Clayton State University. Prior to interning with the AJC, Elizabeth was an active freelancer, writing for the Atlanta Voice, Atlanta Tribune and Sheen magazine. An Atlanta native, Elizabeth worked with our features team and will continue this fall writing news obituaries for our Metro section.
Cynthia and I had weekly pizza lunches with the interns to discuss topics from investigative reporting to getting that first job. At one lunch, I mentioned I had volunteered to be internship coordinator a few years ago.
While celebrating the interns’ successful tenure at Manuel’s Tavern last week, Nick asked why I had volunteered when I had many other duties to keep me busy.
“I know it sounds cheesy,” I said — and it did — “But I have a heart, I guess a passion, to help young journalists be successful.”
Meet our 2014 interns through a video they created to help us recruit future interns. It includes bios, experiences, even a little sketch comedy. Watch here: http://ajc.com/interns
