March 25, 2014
Alexander Corey, a junior journalism major with a minor in Spanish-language journalism at California State University, Northridge, will spend 10 weeks working for the Las Vegas Review-Journal beginning in June.
Corey is excited about the opportunity.
“Every internship is like a building block, it’s going to help me move forward and take the next step and hopefully prepare for what comes next,” Corey said.
He is one of three students from around the U.S. who was given an internship as part of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) Nevada chapter’s summer internship program, which started last year.
The summer internship program is NAHJ Nevada’s “effort to invest in the next generation and give young journalists the stepping stone they need to step confidently from college to career,” according to a press release.
Corey is the president of the California State University, Northridge, chapter of the NAHJ.
The Spanish-language journalism program provided him with the training and experience necessary to get the internship, according to Corey.
“I would not have this gig if it were not for the Spanish-language journalism major here,” he said. “I had to do part of the interview in Spanish. I don’t know how I would have enhanced my skills in both languages without that program.”
Corey encouraged students to apply to programs even if they don’t think they have enough experience.
“You really just have to apply to everything,” he said.
Journalism students shouldn’t wait until they graduate to start building their portfolio, according to Corey.
“You can start a blog and cover the things that interest you,” he said. “You have to start now, build up your resume and portfolio.”
Corey said that students shouldn’t be afraid to go after internship programs even they don’t think they’ll get it.
“I just want to encourage students to push themselves, to get out of their comfort zone and to not be afraid to apply to these opportunities,” Corey said. “Even if you don’t get it, you understand what it takes. You need to start somewhere.”
Internship opportunities are regularly posted on the Journalism Department’s Monday Memo.