www.roanoke.com

Joe Kendall (Virginia Tech) -- Reporter, Public Safety Team

“My first day at the Roanoke Times my editor handed me a press release about a purse-snatching so I turned out a brief and thought to myself, “Hmm...small town.” The next day I was assigned to cover an apparent murder/suicide. That   in a nutshell   was my experience at the Roanoke Times. The range of stories I got to cover was incredible. I did straight news, deadline work, feature stories and even got to work with video on an absurdly awesome story about an albino groundhog. The people were incredibly friendly and tremendously helpful. I learned a lot more working in the field and office with experienced editors and reporters than I ever could have in the classroom. All in all, it was a great experience.”

Sheila Ellis (University of Kansas) -- Reporter, Life Team

“Being that this is my first time away from home I walked into this  internship with a lot of courage. While most of my friends were serving internships  in Kansas I ventured out of the Midwest into  Southwest Virginia to a town named Roanoke.  I was surprised but by no means overwhelmed when I got a story assignment in  the same breath as being introduced to my editor Dan Casey.

 “My first story assignment of underwater monopoly tournament was just a  taste of things to come. I would go one to cover a wide range of topics from  April Drummond and her struggle as a single mother and going back to  school, from getting a once in a lifetime chance to ride a hot air balloon to  learning how important railroads are to people in Roanoke.

 “Before I came here I had heard nothing but good things about this paper  and was wondering how I could meet those type of expectations. I was  wondering how I would be able to inform the citizens in the Valley about news  that affects them when this was my first time stepping foot in this area. But  once I started working I found I was not in this alone. I was amazed of how  willing people are to help. I really appreciated the seminars we had with Matt  Chittum and being able to go to the narrative writing training workshop.

 “I feel I have definitely grown huge leaps and bounds this summer and I  am glad I have the opportunity to come back next summer learn even more.  I received so many compliments from people calling in, sending me emails  and even personal cards in the mail. It feels really good when people  appreciate the work you do.

 “This internship definitely confirmed my calling to be a journalist.  I have had a  good experience here mostly because of my editor. He always takes time out  of his busy schedule to work with me one-on-one to point out and work  on my weaknesses. If there were more editors like Dan  I think newsrooms would be a better place for young budding journalists  like myself.  

Jamie Caudle (Radford University) -- Design Desk

“Although I have been designing pages for my college newspaper for the past three years and have taken numerous design classes, nothing compares to the knowledge I gained during my internship this summer. I now look at design in a completely different way. I understand how to grab a reader's attention and the different design techniques needed to keep it. I designed entire Extra sections, A1, travel pages, and business pages and  was able to really design on my own. The staff here is also outstanding and many have become my friends and mentors. There is a high level of trust and respect among each other in this newsroom and it was a joy and an honor to be a part of it for the summer.”

Tim Gruber (Ohio University) -- Photographer

“Where do I start? I could not have asked for a better environment to be in for a summer. From my first day to my last I felt like part of the family, which made it even harder to leave. Dan wasn't lying when he told me on my first day that he wanted this to be the best internship I've ever done and it was just that. Every member of the photo staff went out of their way to make sure my experience there was one that had me leaving Roanoke not only as a better storyteller, but a better person. For that I can never thank the staff enough.”

Whitney Mitchell (Indiana University) -- Features

“I wanted this  summer internship so bad that I dreamt about it. It became clear from the start  that it was not only everything I had literally dreamed it would be, but that  the opportunities for an intern were virtually endless.

"I had six  centerpiece section fronts and an A1 story by the end of my 12 weeks. I even  got to write a column. I could never have imagined I’d be able to say that as  an intern.

“Although I  worked specifically for the features department, my work wasn’t limited to  writing for the Extra section. I found it surprisingly easy to engage myself in  different facets of working at the paper. I got a taste of web cast development  during my few appearances on the TimesCast.   I wrote hard news stories on deadline for the Virginia and Sports section, a departure  from my normal long-term features reporting. I even got to shoot a video and a  picture to accompany a couple of my stories.

 “Overall, my summer internship with The  Roanoke Times was phenomenal. The ingredients for a success internship are all  there--- the great resources of an award-winning newspaper and a supportive,  talented newsroom staff to help along the way. All it takes is some initiative  to make the most of what The Roanoke Times has to offer. 

“I just hope  my next job can live up this one!”

Meg O'Connell (University of Richmond) -- Copy desk team

“I had been expecting my summer at The Roanoke Times to be filled with coffee runs, intense deadlines and demanding superiors. Instead, I found a caring, helpful group of people willing to take the time to answer my questions about editing style and the area. One of my fellow editors even gave me her cell-phone number the first night, telling me to call if I needed anything, like a ride to work should my car break down. If the copy flow was slower, the chif would e-mail me with explanations of why she had made changes to my editing. And while the RT night staff was dedicated to putting out a good paper on time, a friendly, relaxed atmosphere generally prevailed. We brought in treats for birthdays and the sake of baking. We bantered and exchanged quips on the news. When Paris Hilton gave her first interview after jail, we had a mock countdown to the hour of mock news. When an editor was surveying the desk on a decision that needed to be made, I was asked, too. And one of the news employees ran a series of seminars on journalism for all the interns. While I was the only nightside intern, I still found these very helpful, since I have held reporting internships and plan on doing more of that in the future. Because of this summer, I feel exceptionally more confident in my skills as a copy editor and a future in the newsroom. The RT was a great learning environment.”   

Aariel Charbonnet (Hampton University) -- Copy desk team

“My internship at The Roanoke Times was a wonderful experience. The reporters and editors who I worked with were eager to address my every question and concern. Interning at this newspaper helped me develop my interviewing, writing, photographing and editing skills. As an intern, I was encouraged to actively participate in news meetings and contribute my ideas to various editors. Not only was I treated like a regular, full-time reporter, but I also felt like part of the team. The willingness of the staff to teach me the ins and outs of the newspaper business was amazing.”

Shannon Pittman-Price (Syracuse University) -- Online Team

“One of my  goals for the summer was to learn video.   At SU I got a good foundation in web production, coding skills and Flash  but I never got a chance to learn video and that’s a big part of what the  online news business is doing these days. I told my editor in the beginning  that I wanted to learn how to shoot, edit and produce video.  So right away I was helping and shadowing the  producers who edit the webcasts and edited reporter video.  A month into my internship I was editing and  producing reporter video, I have gone out and shot and produced my own video  which was a great experience.  In July, I  began shooting editing and producing the daily webcast, The TimesCast.  This internship has taught me a lot and definitely  helped me grow in this craft. And on top of that I was working with a great  staff!”