NPR's Summer 2004 Interns

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Intern Bios: L - M

Brian Lauritzen, Music Unit

Music has always been part of Brian's life. He began studying the cello at age five and hasn't looked back. He will graduate next May from Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tenn., with degrees in cello performance and broadcast journalism. He plays professionally with the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera and is the head announcer at WSMC 90.5.

Although he's still not sure what he wants to be when he grows up, Brian is exploring ways to integrate his musical studies and broadcast training by interning with NPR's Performance Today. His CD collection includes all kinds of music -- particularly classical, jazz and folk. His bookshelves are home to a wide variety of authors from Plato to David Sedaris. His favorite movies include "Schindler's List" and "The Red Violin." (He refuses to ever watch "Titanic.") Brian is an avid snow-skier, a backpacking enthusiast and a terrible golfer.


Susan Leem, Morning Edition

Susan Leem is finishing her master's in rhetoric at the University of Minnesota where she is rarely seen without a bicycle. She has always been one of few people willing to wake up and work early on a Saturday or Sunday morning, and has been rewarded with the opportunity to host and/or produce nearly 60 barely-heard news and public affairs radio programs.

Though her current gig may eventually make the list, the following are a solid list of Susan's day jobs which have achieved only personal watershed status: working for a collectively-owned bookstore, pleading kids up or down a 50-foot climbing wall, assisting a physicist in a Mennonite community and driving a yellow school bus.

Susan also unabashedly adores modern dance and the state of Minnesota, which is why there is just no stopping her arts and community reporting. This former news director of KUOM (radiok.org) and reporter/host for KFAI (kfai.org) insists on making shameless plugs for and expressing sincere gratitude to the radio stations that have made her the intern she is today.

Claudine LoMonaco, Weekend Edition Saturday

Claudine LoMonaco recently received two master's degrees from U.C. Berkeley, in Latin American studies and journalism. Last summer, she worked as a border reporter at the Tucson Citizen. Her master's thesis is a 20-minute documentary about a Mexican migrant who died in the desert trying to enter the country last year. It aired on Frontline/World on June 24.

Matthew Lord, NPR Online

Matthew Lord comes to the DC area from the University of Iowa where he is pursuing an MBA with a dual focus in marketing and nonprofit management. He is thrilled to have gotten out of dodge (really Iowa City) for the summer.

Katrina received her master's in liberal arts from Louisiana State University. She moved to Washington in March to intern in the U.S. Senate Press Gallery. During that time, she met some of the country's top political leaders and learned firsthand how politics is covered. Katrina has a passion for delivering information. She hopes to work as a broadcast journalist and someday produce documentaries. With great admiration for her mother, older sister, and others who make sacrifices for what they believe, she hopes to spend her time on this earth helping others. Katrina enjoys journaling, playing tennis, cooking and knitting.

Cat McDonald, NPR Online

Cat McDonald is a multimedia journalist living in Washington, D.C. She recently completed a master's in interactive journalism at American University. She also holds an MFA in creative writing and a BA in American studies, both from Brown University.

While she has promised her family that her university career is over, Cat stubbornly continues to learn. Years ago, she taught herself Serbo-Croat and Swedish. More recently, she has been teaching herself CSS, Flash and how to walk in platform shoes. She has also had an incredibly busy and educational summer working on a series for the NPR Web site, building and maintaining the IE Web site, co-hosting IE, and hiding her shoes from her new Australian shepherd puppy.

Meg McGinn, NPR Library

Meg McGinn is a second-year graduate student in library science at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Originally from Massachusetts, she went to Skidmore College. She worked for the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., for a few years before entering UNC. She is interested in news librarianship.

Kaeleen McGuire, Radio Expeditions

Kaeleen McGuire, of Fairview, Ore., is an intern at Radio Expeditions, a production of NPR and the National Geographic Society. McGuire is a junior, majoring in communications at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo. A graduate of the American Indian Journalism Institute and the Chips Quinn Scholars Program, McGuire's experience has been in print journalism, as an intern at The Confederated Umatilla Journal and the Fort Collins Coloradoan. During the school year, McGuire is a reporter for Reznet, an online newspaper produced by Native students. She has always had an interest in radio and last year began working for her campus station, KDUR, as a reporter and announcer. She is very excited and honored to be a part of NPR and Intern Edition.

As a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, McGuire is passionate about news and issues that affect Indian Country. Her goal is to bring a Native voice into mainstream media in any way she can. In addition to pursuing a career in journalism, McGuire enjoys traveling, live music and dancing.

Amie McLain, Washington Desk

"Laissez le bon temps roulez!" Amie McLain, a proud native of New Orleans, La., lives up to her motto to let the good times roll. You may catch her in a belly dancing class at Joy of Motion Studios, enjoying a jazz performance at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Gardens, or lounging at a club with friends.

Amie, a senior at Howard University in Washington, D.C., is truly enjoying her college experience in the nation's capital. As a broadcast journalism major and French minor, Amie hopes to serve as an international correspondent for a network news station. Her study abroad experience in France during the fall 2003 semester greatly influenced her interest in foreign affairs. Last summer, Amie interned at CNN's Washington, D.C., bureau working with political journalist Judy Woodruff.

At Howard University, Amie is the senior producer at WHUT-TV's student training department. She created and developed Howard's first in-studio talk show titled "Capstone Connection" and now manages the production of "Campus News," a 30-minute news program. Amie is also an active member of Campus Pals, an organization that arranges freshman orientation and helps new students transition from high school to college.

Amie devotes much of her time to community service in the local area. She volunteers at the U.S. Dream Academy Mentorship Program, an after-school center for inner-city children. Since 2001, she has served as a spokesperson for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, a non-profit organization working to reduce the teen pregnancy rate by one-third by 2005.

Raul Moreno, National Desk

Raul Moreno was considered somewhat nutty for listening to NPR while in grade school. A graduate of Willamette University in Salem, Ore., Raul has freelanced for WAMU in Washington, D.C., and enjoys following national security affairs as much as a good Bordeaux. Barring a grisly biking accident, Raul plans to finish his master's degree in communications at Washington State University next year before casting himself upon the altar of radio journalism.

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