Graduate secures Snowden Internship
April 21, 2010
Recent graduate Lanae Gehring (Bandon, Ore.) has acquired a coveted position in the journalism world — her acceptance into the Charles Snowden Program for Excellence in Journalism. She was selected as one of 14 who will participate in a 10-week, paid internship with a community newspaper in Oregon this summer.
Gehring has been placed with The Hermiston Herald in northeastern Oregon, beginning June 7.
“Snowden internships are one of the only paid journalism internships in the State,” said Christena Brooks, Corban’s professor of journalism. “They are very competitive. This says a lot for Lanae. This says a lot for Corban.”
Pete Peterson, coordinator of the Snowden Internship Program, acknowledged the honor: “A record 61 students from 14 Oregon colleges and universities competed for the Snowden Internships.”
He explained, “The [program was] established in 1998 at the UO School of Journalism and Communication by the family of Charles Snowden, former editor at both the Oregon Journal and The Oregonian. SOJC has chosen to include student journalists from all Oregon colleges and universities in the application process. So, it’s truly competitive: Students from smaller colleges compete with those from larger universities — there are no quotas.”
Snowden interns have gone on to work in prominent positions for top media outlets, including The Associated Press, The Seattle Times, the Los Angeles Times, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), and The Prague Post (Czech Republic). Additionally, newspapers who partner with the Snowden program often hire their interns as full-time reporters, photographers, and editors.
“I’m not sure what I’ll be doing after this internship,” said Gehring, “but I’m hoping it leads to a job.”
Brooks said Gehring’s resume will be in good shape for that following this internship. Brooks also noted the unique networking opportunities the endowment provides, such as a graduation dinner with highly respected newspersons who will view samples of the interns’ work and meet them in person that evening.
Gehring is thrilled with the learning opportunity before her. Besides on-the-job experience, reporting for the twice-weekly and daily-online publication in Hermiston, she is looking forward to “being mentored by my editor.”
Gehring will also discuss weekly case studies with her mentors as part of the ethics-training component that has become a well-known part of the Snowden program since 2005.
A communications major who completed her undergraduate studies in December 2009, Gehring became interested in journalism through a required communications course in print journalism. She then joined the Hilltop News staff for a year and a half. Brooks, her adviser, said, “Lanae was a good writer to begin with and a fast learner, but what set her apart was that she was willing to report on difficult topics, and she did this well.”
Peterson stated, “Corban University prepared Lanae well, and Lanae obviously worked very hard to polish her skills and develop her understanding of journalism practices, ethics and media law.”
By Jenny Hirschfelder, Staff Writer, Office of Marketing & Communications
503-375-7005 | jhirschfelder@corban.edu
