Photos by Jenny Lederer, Christina Tran, Courtney Kerrigan, Nova Safo, and Jeremy VanderKnyff
Miyu Akachi
Talk of the Nation
Miyu Akachi grew up in Okinawa, Japan, and came to the United States after graduating from high school. She recently earned a degree in political science with emphasis on international relations from Texas Christian University. During her senior year, Miyu interned with Voice of America in Washington, D.C.. She assisted the international radio show Talk to America, working closely with the executive producer and the host. She also helped edit copy and photos for VOA web news.
In her free time, Miyu enjoys taking ballet class. Watching ballet performances at the Kennedy Center is one of her favorite things to do in DC. She also likes traveling, learning languages and meeting new people.
Miyu has a passion for news and current events and is pursuing a career in international news. NPR is her favorite news organization, and she is grateful for this internship opportunity. She hopes that her experience at NPR will give her greater opportunities to pursue her dreams and career interests.
Jacob Baum
Music Library
Jacob Baum's previous experience in radio involved poorly impersonating a
pirate and playing songs that made mention of produce on KJHK, the student-run
station at the University of Kansas. He is currently pursuing a master's degree
in library science. In the fall, he will return to Lawrence, Kan., where he
will be a reference librarian at the public library and continue to play guitar
in front of small groups of people.
Nicole Beemsterboer
All Things Considered
Listen
A recent graduate from Indiana University Bloomington, Nicole hails from Chicago,
Ill., but dreams of living again one day among the lavender fields of Provence,
France, where she studied abroad last year. Her insatiable love for NPR reporting
began with a work-study application her first week as an undergraduate and
continued to thrive through four years at the WFIU affiliate station on the
IU campus.
Her work has been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists and
the Radio-Television News Directors Association. In 2005, she won the regional
Edward R. Murrow Award for best feature reporting. Also, Nicole was a reporter
with NPR's next generation radio project at the College Media annual conference
held in Kansas City (
http://www.npr.org/about/nextgen/cbi05/).
Nicole aspires to start a documentary radio program for youth in West Africa,
where she hopes to combine her passion for story telling with her fascination
of languages and education into a mélange of cross-cultural news.
Derick Bowers
Audio Engineering
Derick Bowers, originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., is a graduating senior at Howard
University with a major in audio and a minor in electronic studio. His passions
are music (especially hip-hop), sound recording, audio editing and writing.
His previous experiences include interning at Bad Boy Entertainment in the
Artist and Repertoire department, and as an on-air personality and sound editor
for his student radio station, WHBC, 830 AM Derick is also an artist on Heavy
Syndication, an independent hip-hop label based in Washington, D.C. His past
performances include opening up for many major acts such as Fort Minor and
Three Six Mafia.
Derick seeks to learn as much as he can in the field of audio, which has led
him to interning in the Audio Engineering Department. He looks forward to
a successful career in Audio Engineering and perhaps other aspects of entertainment
and media.
Rhitu Chatterjee
Science Desk
A little more than two years ago, Rhitu Chatterjee spent most of her time
in a laboratory killing fish and looking at the genes in their brains. But
somewhere along the way, love for folk and roots music drew her toward the
vast music library of the community radio station in Columbia, Mo., where
she pursued a doctorate, and eventually into the world of public radio. Soon,
she was running her own late-night music show at the station and gathering
courage to change career paths.
Now, she is delighted to be a part of NPR's Science Desk, where she gets to
combine her curiosity about the natural world with her love for sound and
storytelling. Rhitu will graduate in December with a master's degree from
the Missouri School of Journalism and looks forward to pursuing a career in
science writing and radio journalism.
Maja Cholody
Morning Edition
Since an early age, Maja Cholody has had a passion for news. She began her
broadcast career in elementary school by creating mock newscasts for her family
and friends. In high school, Maja worked as the executive producer for Teen
Line Television, a teen-run news program which aired for over 2 million viewers
worldwide.
Maja was born in Poland in a small town on the Baltic coast. She moved to
the United States when she was seven and has lived in the D.C. area ever since.
She is now a senior at the University of Maryland. Upon graduating, she hopes
to be lucky enough to end up on the West Coast. There is nothing Maja enjoys
more than traveling and telling others about her journeys.
Maja has worked for a number of media outlets, waking up at 3:30 a.m. to be
the news desk assistant at ABC's WMAL and dishing out sports news at Baltimore's
WBAL. Maja has a great sense of adventure and hopes to do a lot of traveling
in her life. Her dream job is to be a foreign correspondent.
Eleanor Collins
Finance
At the George Washington University, Eleanor declared accounting and international
business as her fields of study due to her practical nature and her love of
exploring other countries and cultures. She grew up in Modesto, Calif., but
when given the opportunity, she moved to Washington, D.C., for school and
to experience city life on the East Coast. Now she is an accounting intern
at NPR.
At GW, she rowed crew for one year and then decided to spend two semesters
studying in France. One semester was spent in Cannes, where she took a break
from business studies to learn French. She interned with the Cannes film festival,
took a cooking class and lounged on the beach the entire semester. Her next
semester was spent in Paris, where she fell in love with the Parisian lifestyle.
Her favorite places in Paris are the Jardin du Luxembourg, the Musee Rodin
and the Quartier Latin.
Next year, after graduation, Eleanor hopes to discover a career she loves;
go to Brazil; adopt a puppy; and retire near the beach.
Meredith Cook
Communications/Media Relations
Meredith Cook, a Georgia Bulldog, will be entering her senior year at the
University of Georgia in the fall of 2006. Originally from Worcester, Mass.,
Meredith is majoring in speech communication and hopes to pursue a career
in the field of public and media relations as soon as she graduates in May
2007. She thanks her parents for getting her hooked on NPR at a young age,
and interning in the communications department for a non-profit organization
is a dream come true.
She is an avid Boston Red Sox fan and a huge sports enthusiast in general.
She works in the Sports Communications department, as well as the Georgia
Museum of Art, at the University of Georgia. She loves dressing up in red
and black for Georgia football games, meeting new people and exploring new
places.
She lived in Bethesda, Md., when she was in the seventh grade and can't wait
to re-acquaint herself with the beauty of Washington, D.C., all over again
this summer.
Roy Cose
Digital Media
Roy Cose was born and raised in New York City. While growing up in NYC, he
enjoyed dancing (from salsa to ballroom), motorcycle riding, sky diving, skiing,
going out to eat and attending comedy clubs. He received his undergraduate
degree from Baruch College. During his last year at Baruch, he launched a
Latin entertainment magazine. After graduating, he worked with Universal Television
Networks for the next several years.
Roy is currently attending the Frank G. Zarb School of Business at Hofstra
University where he is a first-year Master of Business Administration student
concentrating in finance. Roy also has been active in community work through
his membership in organizations, such as the Baruch College Alumni Association,
Broadcast & Cable Financial Management Association and National Alliance for
Multi-Ethnicity in Communications. Having a passion for media and quality
programming, Roy decided to pursue an internship with NPR. While at NPR, Roy
hopes to contribute to the success of its Digital Media division and believes
that NPR would be an ideal place to pursue his goal of being a media mogul.
Emilia Costa
Audience and Corporate Research
Originally from Parana, Argentina, Emilia Costa grew up in rainy Corvallis,
Ore., before she moved to Columbia, M.D. She's been living in the D.C. area
ever since. This spring, she will complete her bachelor's in English and creative
writing from the University of Maryland.
Jenee Darden
News and Notes
Listen
News and Notes intern Jenee Darden is a proud native of Oakland, Calif. Jeneé
recently graduated from the University of Southern California with a master's
degree in print journalism. She also has a bachelor's degree in ethnic studies
from the University of California, San Diego.
Last summer Jenee journeyed overseas for the first time and interned at Time
magazine's London bureau where she helped cover the July 7 terrorist bombings.
She's also written for various publications in California.
When she's not consuming news, Jenee loves to read, write short stories and
poetry, travel, dance and watch the Golden Girls.
Jenee wants to tackle all mediums of journalism. Her goals are to be a radio
and magazine reporter, write novels and travel the world. Regardless of what
path she takes, Jenee says she hopes her work will educate and inspire others.
Michael Ehrie
Performance Today
Michael G. Ehrie III, a native of Ashland, K.Y., is currently a master's student
at Hunter College of the City University of New York. He studies musicology
and enjoys singing choral works, art songs and opera, and he has a deep interest
in turn of the century French chanson.
Michael enjoys outdoor endurance activity and is an avid runner. He plans
on running the Marine Corps Marathon in D.C. this coming fall.
He is immensely excited about his current internship with the Music Unit at
NPR. Michael looks forward to further exploration of radio and music journalism.
Monika Evstatieva
Morning Edition
Monika describes herself as RADIO-active. She worked for four years at a local
radio station in her home country Bulgaria, where she was a producer, technical
director and in her last year, the general manager of the station. In July,
Monika is going to graduate from American University in D.C., where she is
pursuing a Master of Arts degree in broadcast journalism.
Monika says she loves working at NPR because they exemplify sophisticated
reporting delivered in a highly professional way, which stands as a huge contrast
to the fluffy and superficial stories reported by other media in the United
States.
Monika's dream has always been to become a foreign correspondent. Her own
life has been a mixture of different cultures and regimes. She grew up in
post-communist Bulgaria, lived in Germany for a couple of years as a child
and later studied journalism and business administration at American University
in Bulgaria before coming to the United States. Monika's biggest hobby is
traveling. She has visited 16 countries and speaks five languages.
Rita Garcia
Intern Edition Executive Producer
Rita Garcia is a cum laude graduate from Texas State University with a degree
in mass communication and Spanish. Originally from Austin, Tex., Rita is this
summer's executive producer of NPR's Intern Edition.
Rita's interest in electronic media world all started at the age of 15 when
she joined a radio and television class in high school. Throughout college
she fulfilled her interest working as the news director for the University
radio station KTSW.
She has reported for NPR'S Next Generation radio at the National Association
of Hispanic Journalists conference in Fort Worth, Tex. (
http://www.npr.org/about/nextgen/nahj05_pitch.html),
and the College Broadcasters Inc., conference in Kansas City (
http://www.npr.org/about/nextgen/cbi05/).
She also volunteered with the Latin Billboard Awards held in Miami, Fla.,
and completed a number of television internships including FOX 7 News and
KXAN 36, both in Austin.
Rita aspires to become a common name in every household as a journalist. In
her spare time she enjoys traveling, exercising, swimming, reading and eating
great Chinese food!
Lars Gotrich
All Songs Considered
Out of the frosty Land of 10,000 Lakes came Lars Gotrich, a mighty Viking
who pillaged his way through Minnesota and New Jersey before staking his claim
in Georgia. Laying down his hammer and yielding an armful of epic literature,
he studied English at the University of Georgia. Lars engaged in the local
music scene upon his arrival in Athens and soon took on WUOG, the student-run
radio station, as a DJ for nearly four years and as the local music director
for two terms.
Every specialty show within the 26,000 watts of college radio debauchery knew
the fist of Lars, especially the long-running Sound of the City, a local music
show; Liner Notes, a music talk show; Crisis, locally improvised noise recorded
live; and his own creation New Orbit, a free/avant-garde jazz show. Ever since
childhood and adolescence, Lars played musical instruments (cornet, tuba,
voice and, most prominently, guitar) and wrote for a myriad of music magazines,
thus his magnetism to NPR and college radio, both bastions of aural discovery
and research. This summer, Lars will battle the flux of unsigned artists and
find worthy competitors to receive praise as part of NPR's Open Mic program,
the most excellent All Songs Considered friend-in-arms where he will also
intern as an archivist, a webmaster and yes, a Viking.
Arwa Gunja
Weekend Edition Sunday
Listen
As she begins her summer internship with NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday, Arwa
Gunja looks forward to two things: learning the ins and outs of radio journalism
and avoiding quesadillas. After four months studying in Guanajuato Mexico,
she now returns to the United States with a greater knowledge of the Spanish
language as well as a more profound appreciation for Latin American culture.
While she considers the trip to be not only the most valuable and educational
experience of her life, the 20-year-old female awaits the opportunity to return
to American cuisine along with the more vigorous and challenging pace of life.
Learning Spanish and the Mexican history in Guanajuato also added to her studies
at New York University, where she is a senior in the liberal arts college.
Along with journalism, Arwa also studies Latin American and Middle Eastern
studies, two global regions with which she has become familiar both personally
and academically through years of traveling and eight semesters of courses.
Having traveled to more than 50 cities outside of America, Arwa has a passionate
interest in international relations and politics and hopes to one day pursue
journalism with a focus on international affairs.
Her enthusiasm for traveling is complemented with a love for professional
soccer and a keen fascination for contemporary art. Reading is her second
favorite hobby after riding horses, and when she is doing neither, Arwa enjoys
the night life of her favorite U.S. city, New York, where she will reside
after her internship.
Jamie Hammon
Music Unit
Music Unit intern Jamie Hammon hails from the hills of Appalachia where she
obtained her degree in piano performance and pedagogy at West Virginia University.
Although she now calls Los Angeles home, she is enjoying her brief stint as
a print journalism graduate student at Boston University. Following her internship
with NPR, Jamie will be staying in D.C. for a fall semester of political reporting.
She hopes to combine her passions for music and writing in the world of arts
journalism, and to one day move to the rainy Pacific Northwest to do nothing
but read and play modern Russian piano music on her Steinway grand all day
long.
Jacob Howley
Legal
After a youth spent in rural West Virginia, Jacob graduated from Kenyon College
in 2003 with a degree in modern languages (German and Spanish). His undergraduate
career included a year as a DAAD scholar and IES exchange student at the Humboldt-Universität
zu Berlin (2001-02), where he became fascinated with Germany and its emerging
multicultural identity. Jacob credits this experience as the basis for his
current studies as a Global Law Scholar at the Georgetown University Law Center,
where he is entering his third year and serves as a senior editor on the Georgetown
Immigration Law Journal.
In Berlin, Jacob interned at the non-profit Antiracist Intercultural Information
Center Berlin e.V. and the integration-oriented Löwenzahn-Grundschule. Jacob
has returned to Europe twice in the course of law school: as a contestant
in the European Law Moot Court Competition and as an intern at the Swiss law
firm Schellenberg Wittmer last summer. Jacob's interest in Germany and Europe
has proven an asset to his NPR experience this summer, which has included
forays into NPR's German and Canadian legal affairs.
In addition to languages, Jacob's chief interests include music, food, politics
and literature. Jacob plays traditional Irish and American music on eight
instruments and is a member of the Indonesian Embassy's Central Javanese gamelan
ensemble.
Ko Im
Morning Edition
Ko Im thinks travel is the best education. A South Korean who grew up in Guam,
she spends most of her time on wheels or in the air (her secret dream is to
fly). Whether it is New York or Tokyo, one can frequently find her shopping
or dining out with her friends. But one won't find her with an iPod: She likes
to listen to the natural voices surrounding her.
Ko is currently an upcoming junior majoring in communications and English
at the University of Pennsylvania, and is interested in pursuing a career
in broadcast journalism. She was a writer for the Pacific Daily News for many
years, and also produced an Asian pop show on NPR's station in Guam for the
youth. She worked at NPR's WXPN station last summer and also interned at Guam's
KUAM-TV station. This summer, Ko was a reporter for NPR's Next Generation
Radio project at the annual Asian-American Journalists Association project
in Honolulu, Hawaii (
http://www.npr.org/about/nextgen/aaja06/index.html).
As the president of Penn's Asian American Journalist Association, she produced
The Penn-Asian Network on her campus this spring and will be working for NBC10
in the fall. She enjoys covering lifestyle pieces because she's the type that
enjoys tinkering on the piano, playing beach volleyball and doing yoga. Ko
is an intern for Morning Edition this summer. She hopes that her summer in
D.C. will be full of surprises and enriching experiences.
Jacqueline Jove
Symphony Cast
A native of Miami, Fla., Jacqueline Jove abandoned sunny beaches and blue
skies for the harsh New England weather. Currently an undergraduate at Yale
University, she is pursuing a bachelor's with majors in music and French.
Jacqueline is a member of the Yale Symphony Orchestra and works as a recording
assistant in the Fred Plaut Recording studio. Over the summers, she has performed
in various music festivals including Interlochen, California Summer Music
and Tanglewood. An enthusiast for science and nonfiction writing, she enjoys
chemistry and neuroscience as well as biography and news.
Following her internship with NPR, Jacqueline is off to Paris for a year,
where she will pursue her studies of French, music history and violin at the
Sorbonne and the Paris Conservatory. She aspires to combine her passions for
music and writing through journalism and to make a serious dent in the string
quartet repertoire.
Courtney Kerrigan
Arts and Information
Courtney Kerrigan is currently a graduate student in the Cinema-Television
Critical Studies Department at the University of Southern California. She
graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2003 with a double major in
English and film/TV studies. Being at USC has had no effect on her status
as a Notre Dame football fan.
Prior to beginning graduate school, Courtney briefly worked at DreamWorks,
SKG as a story production assistant on Shrek II. She has also interned at
the Los Angeles Times and Tom Lynch Co., a children's and tween's television
production company, responsible for (among other shows) Alex Mack.
Although she's had little experience in radio, Courtney has been an avid NPR
listener since college, and Los Angeles traffic has only increased her love
of the station. She hopes this internship will help guide her toward some
sort of career decision (which she's been avoiding since graduating from college).
She also enjoys TV and TiVo, Defamer.com, reading and re-reading good books
and (though a natural critic) movies.
Sarah Laskow
National Desk
Listen
Sarah Laskow discovered journalism in New Haven, Conn., where she reported
on student activists and local politics. She graduated this spring with a
degree from Yale University in literature and a file of clippings. Her academic
work focused on post-colonial literature in Francophone, West Africa and included
a stint at the University of Dakar, Senegal. In Dakar, she assisted at The
New York Times West Africa Bureau.
Now free from academia, Sarah aspires to cook like a foodie and frets about
electoral politics. And whereas she once dreamt of travel in countries afar,
now her work at NPR's National Desk fuels fantasies of moving out to the Midwest.
Jenny Lederer
Creative Services
Jenny graduated from Tufts University with a bachelor's in English in 2005
and has since been indulging in the simple pleasures of lethargy and Ramen
noodles. She recently founded her own business doing freelance photography
and graphic design and launched a website of her work at
www.jennylederer.com
Around this time last summer she was slogging through the jungles of northern
Guatemala taking photographs of chicle harvesters for an all-natural chewing
gum company. Her trip gave her the much-needed opportunity to improve her
Spanish and a newfound appreciation for that scene in Indiana Jones and the
Temple of Doom when the camera pans across the floor revealing a crunchy carpet
of bugs. A selection of her photos, taken at the first ever New Dawn Maya
Arts festival (founded by fellow intern Kira Neel) in the village of Copal
Aa, has been displayed in numerous galleries in Providence and Boston.
While Jenny's plans for the future remain uncertain, her foremost aspirations
include dental insurance, actually training her dog not to steal and procuring
a cool nickname like Biff or Maverick.
Stacey Loomis
Development
Stacey Loomis, the Development Department intern, moved to Washington, D.C.,
last year to pursue her Master of Business Administration from George Washington
University where she will graduate in May 2007. Stacey is originally from
Los Angeles and has lived among the redwoods in northern California and in
Portland, Ore., where she earned her undergraduate degree from Reed College.
Stacey's real claim to fame is her circus name - her grandfather became a
Loomis when he joined the Barnum & Bailey Circus Loomis Brothers acrobatic
act. While the name stayed in the family, the circus talent did not. Stacey
spends her free time a bit more cautiously. She enjoys cooking, traveling
and visiting museums.
Talat Mangla
Finance
Talat Mangla grew up in Kalamazoo, Mich., (yes, there really is a Kalamazoo!),
and currently attends school there. In the fall, she returns as a senior at
Western Michigan University, where she is an accounting and political science
major.
Her love of travel has been key to surviving almost 21 years in Kalamazoo.
She studied abroad at the London School of Economics in England, spent a semester
working for the State of Michigan Senate Fiscal Agency in Lansing, Mich.,
and was a policy fellow at the D.C. lobbying firm Preston Gates. But no matter
where she is, she remains a fierce Detroit Pistons fan.
At WMU, Talat spends most of her spare time volunteering with PeaceJam, an
organization that personally connects high school students with Nobel Peace
Laureates in peacemaking apprenticeships. For three years, she's been an executive
board member and volunteer for Alternative Spring Break. She enjoys Thai food,
reading and working with youth. Of course, these interests naturally lead
her to a career in accounting or law.
Heather Martin
Broadcast Library
Heather Martin comes to us from the Great White North to be an intern in the
broadcast library. After growing up in the tiny rural town of Nakusp, British
Columbia, Heather headed down to foggy northern California to pursue a degree
in history at the University of California at Santa Cruz (Go Banana Slugs!).
She is currently working toward her master's in information studies at the
University of Toronto with plans of entering the field of special librarianship
upon graduation. She is thrilled to be working at NPR. Heather has extracurricular
interests that include culinary history and infectious diseases and is always
more than happy to sit down and chat with you about how the Dewey Decimal
system is actually really interesting.
Meghan Maskery
Day to Day
Meghan Maskery arrived in Los Angeles from Columbia, Mo., where she is working
toward a master's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Meghan loves public broadcasting and worked for Detroit Public Television
before moving away from her home state of Michigan to go to journalism school.
In Missouri, she produced a weekly program at the local public radio station
in Columbia. She can't wait to hike through the mountains and relax on the
beach while she lives on the West coast this summer. After the internship,
Meghan plans to drive the longest route possible back to Missouri, so she
can see more of the country.
Jamila Lynn McCoy
Human Resources
Jamila Lynn McCoy hails from Washington, D.C. She is a junior at Cornell University, majoring in industrial and labor relations. In her free time, Jamila enjoys reading, painting and jogging, and she was thrilled to intern with NPRs Human Resources Department!
Laura Mirsch
Member and Program Services
Laura is a proud Minnesota native and public radio fanatic who grew up infatuated
with A Prairie Home Companion. She eventually made her way out to the east
coast and now studies at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
She'll be graduating next spring with a double concentration in international
politics and Middle Eastern affairs, as well as a minor in religion.
Laura attended the University of Minnesota in Twin Cities for two years before
deciding to transfer to GW. She didn't head directly to D.C., however. Instead,
she took a year off to live in Munich, Germany, and work at the Minnesota
State Senate on the Education Finance Committee.
This summer, Laura will be racing in her first-ever Olympic-length triathlon.
When not training for the race, Laura enjoys spirited games of Trivial Pursuit
and Euchre, boasting about the Midwest, and listening to This American Life.
Her life goals are to work for an international human rights organization
and to race in the Ironman at the age of 60, which thankfully gives her about
40 more years to train.
Kira Neel
Radio Expeditions
Kira Neel, of Providence, R.I., graduated in May 2005 from Brown University
with a bachelor's in Latin American studies. Kira has worked primarily as
an actor, dancer and community activist who uses theater as a tool to make
marginalized voices heard by their greater global community. Kira lives in
Providence, has taught and performed internationally, and recently finished
teaching a class called Si Se Puede! Bilingual Theatre with ¡CityArts! Through
her work in diverse socio-cultural environments, the importance of clear communication
and access to information has been paramount. For this reason, she is honored
to be interning at NPR, and is eager to learn more about radio communication.
Amanda Nembhard
All Things Considered
Listen
As an aspiring journalist, Amanda Nembhard knows that nothing comes without
hard work and strong determination. As a native New Yorker, she knows that
nothing comes without sacrificing some sleep. As an individual, she understands
that one must be surrounded by positive people in order to have a positive
life. The internship at NPR is one that Amanda is excited to have because
she always knew she would be surrounded by positive energy and people who
truly care about quality over quantity.
Ever since she could write, Amanda has written books, novels and plays. Now,
as a senior broadcast journalism student at Howard University, Amanda has
been passing the time by focusing on her journalistic passion. In addition
to learning through various internships, she is the news director for the
student-run radio station, WHBC 830 A.M, a producer for the student-run news
show Howard Today, a member of the National Association of Black Journalists
and a contributing writer for The Hilltop, Howard's student-run newspaper.
Amanda's immediate-future goals are to graduate on time and to eventually
become a television or radio news producer. Her ultimate goal is to teach
journalism to high school students and show them that they too can enter this
challenging, yet rewarding, field.
Melissa Pachikara
Digital Media
A native of York, Pa., Melissa Pachikara graduated from Bryn Mawr College with a degree in chemistry, a minor in biology, and an abiding love of poetry. After graduating, she worked for the Department of Justice for several years. On a part-time basis, she earned a Master of Arts in writing with a concentration in fiction from Johns Hopkins University. In February 2003, she was a writing resident at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vt., where she learned that she could withstand bitter cold better than humidity and where she completed the first draft of a novel. She is now pursuing a Master of Journalism degree with a specialization in online journalism at the University of Maryland and expects to graduate in December 2006.
Check out this story Melissa worked on for npr.org.
Daniel Peters
Audience and Corporate Research
Listen
A Minnesota native, Daniel Peters recently graduated with honors from the
University of Kansas, with degrees in journalism and geography. While there,
Daniel served as a reporter for KJHK-F.M., the university radio station. He
also spent four years leading campus tours as a KU Ambassador. He previously
interned for a public relations agency and an international railroad company,
both in Kansas City.
Daniel spent two of his undergrad semesters traipsing around Europe, based
first in Barcelona, Spain and later in Maastricht, The Netherlands. Along
with studying the Spanish and Dutch languages, he earned a minor in European
studies from the Universiteit Maastricht.
So why research? Originally an aspiring meteorologist, Daniel enjoyed the
market research class he took in college so much he now hopes to make it his
career. His other interests include public transportation, restaurants and
distance running -- all of which make D.C. an ideal place for him to live this
summer.
Kelly Reeves
Science Desk
Kelly Reeves is a graduate student at the University of Wyoming, but don't
think she is from the West. She is from New Jersey. Growing up, a morbid interest
in natural disasters grew into a fascination with weather, rocks and forests.
She decided to major in Earth and planetary sciences at Johns Hopkins University
after discovering that she could actually get paid for working outdoors. The
awesome field trips didn't hurt, either. Never a fan of crowds, she then drove
west to Wyoming to earn a master's degree in botany. There, she analyzes lake
sediment cores to understand how forests have responded to climate change
since the last ice age. This summer she is dabbling in science journalism,
further procrastinating on writing her thesis. Although Kelly will miss the
unpredictable weather of Laramie, Wyo., she is happy to return to a more humid
climate. Her loves include libraries, trail running, yoga (to combat the pain
of running), musicals, sleeping and a good ice cream cone.
Shaun Anthony Roberts
NPR Labs
Shaun Anthony Roberts is a 22-year-old native of South Florida. He enjoys
reading and watching all types of movies. Countless hours of his life are
devoted to watching and playing sports. Listening to and playing music are
also two of his hobbies. His primary instrument is tuba, but he also plays
trumpet and a little piano.
Because of his love for books, music and movies, Shaun holds a part-time job
at Borders. Throughout his 22 years, he has had a variety of jobs. Last summer
he interned at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. This past school
year, he did research for the Howard University Science, Engineering and Mathematics
program and worked at an elementary school in northwest Washington, D.C.,
where he still volunteers.
Shaun graduated from Howard University in May 2006 with a Bachelors of Science
in electrical engineering. In fall, he plans to continue his education at
Peabody Conservatory, where he hopes to combine his degree and love for music
in the Masters of Acoustics and Audio Sciences program.
Jessica Skwir
Corporate Communications
After studying in both Spain and Costa Rica, no one was surprised to hear
that Jessica was relocating to D.C. for the summer, but plenty were excited!
As a recent graduate with honors from Aquinas College, a liberal arts school
in Grand Rapids, Mich., Jessica affectionately left with a bachelor's in communication
and Spanish and a news-junkie title.
During her undergraduate career, Jessica was always on the move. Last fall,
she spent the semester traveling throughout the Midwest as an intern for the
Admissions Office at Aquinas College, visiting high schools and college fairs
to promote and inform others about the college. Prior to her internship, her
experience at Aquinas's Office of the President and at a nonprofit for troubled
youth solidified her goals of working at an institution that disseminates
knowledge, which is precisely why she is looking forward to her position in
the Corporate Communications Office.
Jessica openly enjoys girly books, big salads and hybrid cars. She loves spending
summers on the water in the Great Lakes State. She plans to pursue a higher
degree and a career that intertwines organizational communication and education.
Jennifer Sloan
Consumer Products
Jen spent ten years with her family in the twin cities of Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, home of the second-largest Oktoberfest celebration outside of Germany and Chicopee Ski Resort, where Jen developed her love for her favorite winter sport. A native Michigander, she returned to University of Michigan football games and Midwestern comfort food for her high school years before heading off to Princeton to study history. Jen spent her post-college years in San Francisco, Calif., and Washington, D.C., nurturing her passion for education with a national non-profit that trains educators to lead new public schools in underserved communities. After completing her first year in the University of Michigans MBA program, the long-time NPR devotee is thrilled to combine her commitment to empowering people through education, advocacy for engaging people in debates about the critical issues of the day, and some newly-acquired (she hopes) business skills to ensure that NPR remains on the air for a very, very long time.
Heather Smith
Weekend Edition Saturday
Heather Smith was raised in the shadow of I-75, in the suburbs of Detroit, Mich. She attended Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Mich., a city whose urban space was populated almost entirely with drunken college kids, the scions of the Upjohn pharmaceutical dynasty and the recently de-institutionalized. (City motto: "Yes! There really is a Kalamazoo!")
She decided to be a journalist upon realizing that it was not unlike academia, in that you get to ask people lots of impertinent questions and make note of the answers. Journalism, however, involves far fewer meetings and the possibility of actual employment.
Heather currently lives in San Francisco and attends the graduate school of journalism at UC Berkeley. Her interests include urban planning, oral history, the practical uses of technology, second-wave feminism, art, truth, beauty and tacky superhero comic books.
Jennifer Spyra
Arts & Information
Although she lived in the south for a modest seven hours, Jen's easy affability
and respect for all things fried makes her Southern roots undeniable. After
her birth in a Virginian hospital, Jen lived briefly in D.C. and then moved
with her parents to Pittsburgh, where she learned to refer to a group of people
as "yins" and to love the Steelers despite her passionate disinterest in sports.
Jen is now a rising senior at Barnard College, where she majors in English
and minors in history. She studied in Lyon this fall, enjoying the rich culture
of the land and breathing life into the clichés of studying abroad.
She reviewed film for the Columbia Spectator, and is now a senior writer for
the Spectator's Weekend Magazine. She is also contributor and editor of a
campus magazine, The Current. She recently began working with the arts department
at Columbia's radio station, WKCR and teaches SAT prep for the Princeton Review.
She is a certified bartender according to the Columbia School of Mixology
and has been seen in various campus plays and productions. Jen has studied
improvisational comedy in New York, Chicago and now here in D.C.
Jeff Swingle
Ombudsman
Jeff Swingle is interning in the office of the Ombudsman. He recently graduated
from the University of Arizona where he studied history and religion. Having
lived most of his life in the dry deserts of the Southwest, he is now glad
to be escaping to somewhere with water, grass, and trees--even if it means
that he must suffer through a humid summer in Washington, D.C. When asked
what attracted him to the Media Ethics division of NPR, Jeff points out that
there are parallels between the concerns of an historian and those of an ombudsman: "Both are ideally oriented toward maintaining and recovering a sense of intellectual integrity," he says, "and both have the benefit of hindsight."
Nathan Taylor
Washington Desk
Listen
Nathan Taylor is a senior in political science at the University of Texas
at Tyler. He recently finished a semester as a Bill Archer fellow working
in the Congressional Relations office of the Canadian Embassy in Washington,
D.C. He is a member of the Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science
Honor Society, and has worked on a number of campaigns, even attending the
Texas State Democratic Convention in 2004. He is fascinated by government
in general, but is particularly interested in campaign politics. He has a
small but growing collection of vintage political buttons, and more than once,
he has watched C-SPAN the way normal people watch sports. On one occasion,
he even found himself absentmindedly humming the campaign jingle from Adlai
Stevenson's 1952 presidential run, Love the Gov.
He adores Washington, D.C. for all of the art, theater, music and cuisine
that is within easy reach. In a dull moment he finds himself pondering the
philosophical significance of the Declaration of Independence. He is thrilled
to know he can hop on the Metro and be standing in front of the original in
about 15 minutes.
Shaleem Ayana Thompson
Programming Department
Born the first grandchild in a huge extended family, Shaleem was welcomed
with open arms by all on April 12, 1984. From as early as she can remember,
she loved to read and could always be found tucked away in some corner of
the house with a "book to her head." Her thirst for knowledge exasperated
her family at times, as she trailed behind them constantly asking: "why or
how?" She now realizes that these were just small seeds planted in what would
later be a blossoming desire to become a journalist. She was exposed to journalism
at an early age. Her father is a radio and television reporter in Trinidad,
the beautiful Caribbean island where she was born.
At the age of 15, she got her first radio internship at 96.1WEFM, which still
is the number one station in the Trinidad. While working in the news room
that summer, she not only wrote the entertainment news for on-air and helped
with other news stories, but was able to interview entertainment artists when
they came to perform for local shows. In 2004, she got a scholarship to Howard
University. During her first semester, she was hired as a news anchor for
the student-run radio station WHBC AM. Because she always loved to write,
she contributed to the Hilltop newspaper. In her second year at Howard, she
joined the newspaper and became a staff writer. That year, she also landed
an internship with NBC4, in the communication department, assisting with the
shows "Viewpoint" and "Reporters Notebook."
She knows that her journey has just begun, but she believes that her unique
cultural background has helped her adapt and excel in any situation. Her goal
is to become a renowned reporter in the United States. She is motivated to
do this each day by the following quote by an anonymous writer: "Our deepest
fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful
beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves: Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small
does not serve the world."
Christina Tran
Creative Services
Listen
At age seven, she hosted an imaginary radio program with found classical music
and cover-song cassette tapes. In high school, she listened to All Things
Considered whenever her aunt gave her a ride home from school. In college,
she discovered the online archives of This American Life . Maybe an internship
with public radio was in the works far longer than she even realized.
Born and raised in Houston with a travel agent for a mom and a wanderer of
a dad, Christina Tran ran away from that city of strip malls and parking lots
to the University of Texas at Austin to study studio art and journalism. In
her freshman year, she shot footage for KVR News, reported for The Daily Texan
and wrote lifestyle stories for Orange magazine. Four years later, she graduates
with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in design and is a semester shy of never finishing
her journalism degree because she kept taking photography classes instead.
In those intervening years, Christina has also studied art history in Italy,
worked with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and interned at the design firm fd2s.
She respects the recurring themes in her life -- story, photo, travel -- and
wonders where they'll take her next.
Visit Christina's Web site at:
http://www.sodelightful.com
Danielle Trusso
Digital Media
Danielle Trusso grew up in the chilly, often snowy climate of Jamestown, N.Y.
She left New York to attend Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, where she will
begin her senior year this fall.
She is studying journalism in the E.W. Scripps School's news writing and editing
sequence, and she is specializing in psychology. She expects to graduate in
March 2007.
While at OU, she has worked for the student newspaper The Post as a reporter
on the education and crime and courts beats. When she was not working on the
paper, she was a resident assistant in the university's dormitories.
Last summer she interned with The Chautauquan Daily, the newspaper for the
lively, artistic and eclectic community within Chautauqua Institution. Her
interests include history, photography and music, and she was able to incorporate
these at the Institution as she reported on lecturers, musical performers
and special events.
In January, she made her first trip to Washington to intern with the Scripps
Howard Foundation as a reporter for the wire service.
Check out this story Danielle worked on for npr.org.
Jeremy VanderKnyff
Digital Media
Listen
Jeremy VanderKnyff, a native of Wilmington, N.C., attends the University of
South Carolina where he's been working toward his anticipated May 2007 graduation
with a major in media arts and a minor in anthropology. Although his concentration
is in screenwriting and narrative filmmaking, Jeremy has spent the last few
years working odd jobs as an illustrator and Web designer. Currently, he's
designing an online digital media archive and exhibition for two professors
at USC and volunteers as a media developer for his local chapter of the Red
Cross.
In his free time, Jeremy teaches CPR and First Aid classes for the Red Cross,
takes Aikido and fencing, catches up on his reading (he's way behind) and
watches movies (when he's not out making an opus of his own). Annoyed by Jeremy's
frequent babbling about how great it would be to work for NPR, one of his
professors urged him to apply for an internship. Jeremy will be working for
NPR Digital Media this summer, where he hopes to practice and develop his
skills as an illustrator and Web designer while giving back to an organization
he's loved since childhood. Once he's lived the dream by interning with NPR,
he hopes to pursue a Master of Fine Arts in film production and end up writing
and directing for the silver screen.
Check out this story Jeremy worked on for npr.org.
Bettina Warburg-Johnson
NPR Worldwide
Bettina Warburg-Johnson will be a junior this fall at Georgetown University's
School of Foreign Service where she majors in culture and politics and minors
in Jewish studies. Growing up among the literary intrigues of Concord, Mass.,
including Walden Pond where she often swims, Bettina has found much pleasure
in reading, writing and nature. She spends a great amount of her time travelingprimarily
to Hamburg and Berlin to visit her motherand grew up straddling the Atlantic.
She loves to learn about cultures, cuisines and languages and is intent on
becoming a grill-master like her father. She has just moved into her house
in Georgetown's East Village and is very excited to be living with her best
friend from home for the summer. Bettina will be interning with Jeff Rosenberg
at NPR Worldwide helping with the new station in Berlin.
Rebecca Webber
Washington Desk
Rebecca Webber is a native Texan. After graduating from the University of
Texas at Austin, she lived and worked in Washington, D.C., for several years.
She is currently attending Yale Law School. Rebecca loves living in D.C.,
especially in summer. She looks forward to the Folklife Festival every year.
MEET SOME MORE NPR 2006 SUMMER INTERNS
Matthew Burrough
NPR Labs
Matt Burrough is a senior at the Rochester Institute of Technology, majoring in information technology. Before coming to NPR, Matt interned at iBiquity Digital, assisting with the testing and development of digital (HD) radio. For the past year, he has been writing software for NPR Labs. His current project is a subjective audio testing tool, which is used in every NPR Labs test. After graduating next May, Matt is registered to serve in the Peace Corps. He then plans to earn a graduate degree in computer security.
Katie Daugert
Reference Library
Katie Daugert completed her Master of Science in information science at the University of Texas at Austin in August 2005. In 2001, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in music from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash. She was raised in Bellingham, Wash., and now is a full-time resident of Washington, D.C., where she is completing her second internship at NPR for the Reference Library. As a spring intern at NPR, she worked in the Music Unit on digital music collection initiatives, and was the Music Director for Intern Edition Spring 2006.
Anna Geismar-Bowman
Legal
Anna Geismar-Bowman was born and raised in Austin, Texas. She received her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Texas at Austin and is currently a rising third-year student at the University of Texas School of Law. Previous work experiences include two years in the Community Affairs Department of the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Ala., a summer clerkship with the ACLU of Texas, several semesters of writing and editing for her college newspaper,
The Daily Texan and a summer job as waitress at the northernmost truck stop in the world (in Coldfoot, Alaska).
She’s very happy to be working as a legal intern for NPR this summer because the organization combines her two main areas of professional experience: journalism and nonprofit organizations. She also grew up listening to NPR and is excited to be involved in the day-to-day activities of what she thinks is one of the best news outlets in the country.
Outside of the office, some of her favorite activities include reading, jogging, kayaking and traveling (particularly to anywhere with a beach).
Jennifer Rasmussen
Human Resources
Jennifer Rasmussen was born and raised in Brewster, Mass. In the fall, she will begin her senior year at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, where she is majoring in psychology and has a secondary concentration in anthropology. She recently returned from a semester abroad in Florence, Italy, where she studied art history, literature and sociology. In July 2006, she will travel to the Shetland Islands, Scotland, to excavate sites and learn about the history of the area.
Jennifer has been on the Bates Swim Team for the past three years and was elected co-captain of the team for the 2006-07 season. She has participated in several volunteer programs at Bates, including a community outreach reading program with elementary school children and an oral history/research project at the Bates Mill (an old historic New England mill in Lewiston). She has also worked as a research assistant for a psychology professor at Bates on a community public health project. When she has the time, Jennifer enjoys reading, watching movies (she is a member of the Bates Filmboard), going to museums, photography and traveling.
