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Rachel Karas, an Honors College junior majoring in journalism with a minor in photojournalism,
is looking forward to her internship in summer 2020 with the Columbus Dispatch. As a “metro” intern,
she

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will be assigned to cover anything that happens in the downtown area or that is related to the community. Before she found out she had been selected for the internship, Rachel knew that this job would put her out in the field, conducting interviews and reporting on her own stories, and she says she is “really looking forward to getting some experiences out in the real world reporting [while still having] the guidance and assistance of a great team.”
 

Rachel discovered this internship opportunity through a listserv that is run by Mitch McKenney, an associate professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Rachel knew that the Dispatch was in search of interns for the upcoming summer, and she has peers who recommended the internship based on their own experiences at the Dispatch. The internship site is also close to Rachel’s hometown of Galena, Ohio, so she will not have to find another place to live. While she says that this is an additional plus, she states that it is second to the opportunities the internship had to offer.

Rachel says that she used multiple resources available to her through Kent State to prepare for her internship, from consulting with her honors advisor about how to receive honors credit for her internship to seeking advice from people who work in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication: professors helped her review her resume and cover letter, and she learned from her peers who had previously worked at the Dispatch what to expect from the internship.

While Rachel has worked in a variety of positions in student media at Kent State, she hopes to gain from her internship “a better idea of what it takes to be a real journalist.” She says that her experience will either confirm her interest in the career she has been working towards, or it will demonstrate to her that she should pursue another path. In either case, Rachel says that after this internship, she “will have a better idea of what journalism field [she wants] to enter after graduation.” Her advice to students who are searching for internships is to not give up and put in the extra effort to try to achieve their goals. “Always try your best and it will lead to something eventually,” Rachel says.

Some of the details of Rachel’s upcoming internship have changed due to the coronavirus: the start date for the internship has been delayed, but she still expects to work at the internship site for twelve weeks. Her supervisors have also been very transparent and communicative and have expressed that they are willing to be flexible given the circumstances. Rachel says that the newspaper has treated its incoming interns like “fellow journalists” while being mindful of the struggles students may be facing during this time, and she adds that the manner in which the Dispatch has handled the changes has reinforced “all the good things [she] heard about them that made [her] want to apply in the first place.”

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PHOTO CAPTION 1:

Photo of Rachel Karas, Honors College junior, who will intern with the Columbus Dispatch in summer 2020.

Media Contact:
Stephanie Moskal, smoskal@kent.edu, (330) 672-2312