Bryan Bumgardner, a Mt. Clare, W.Va. native, and Lauren Nickle of Elkton, Md., will spend their summers in New York City.
Bumgardner, a print journalism senior, will work as an editorial intern at Scientific American magazine, where he will report, proofread and fact-check articles and assist editors.
He says that while he was turned down for several internships, the position at Scientific American is a “perfect position.”
“Doing science journalism for a magazine is a dream come true,” said Bumgardner. “I’m so excited to live in a new city and learn from the best writers, editors and designers in the business.”
Nickle, an advertising junior, will be the integrated marketing intern at Major League Baseball Advanced Media. She is looking forward to learning more about integrated marketing, leadership and the use of varied media in the advertising industry.
“This is a great opportunity to get real-world experience working with professionals at one of the top sports media entities in the country,” Nickle said.
While Nickle and Bumgardner are in New York, two more School of Journalism students will spend their summers in the nation’s capital.
Television journalism senior Diane Jeanty will intern at the national desk of NPR in Washington, D.C., not far from her home in Frederick, Md. Jeanty will assist reporters with research and shadow producers in the field. She will also attend editorial meetings and pitch story ideas.
Like Nickle, Jeanty is also excited about getting hands-on experience in her field.
“I love working with producers,” said Jeanty. “I can’t wait to learn about what goes into producing a story for a major news network.”
Charleston, W.Va., native Samantha Runyon will spend her summer in Senator Rockefeller’s press office.
After holding internships at a public relations firm, a newspaper and a non-profit organization, the public relations senior is excited to expand her knowledge of governmental communications.
“It’s a fast-paced setting, and I’m excited to learn from such an experienced staff,” Runyon said.
High-level internships like these help students get good jobs when they graduate, and they help raise the profile of the School of Journalism, says Dean Maryanne Reed.
“We are so proud of these students for landing great internships, and we know they’ll be excellent ambassadors for the school,” said Reed. “Our students are fully capable of working at the national level. They just need to opportunities to prove themselves.”
To that end, the School of Journalism has hired former broadcaster Eric Minor (BSJ, 1995) as the School’s first Director of Student Careers and Opportunities. Minor will be tasked with developing new internship opportunities and identifying and preparing students for internships and jobs.