Summer has unfortunately come to a close, and at Michigan in Color, it’s a tad bittersweet. Though many of us are excited to come back to The Daily for more shenanigans, we’re also sad to leave the places at which we interned. We’re trading business professional attire for the casual and comfy clothes we usually wear at college. Here, a few MiC editors wanted to share their summer stories of hustling, learning and the importance of diversity in the workplace.
Information senior Nisa Khan participated in a summer-long program with a grant from the Knight Foundation and hosted by the Craig Newmark Journalism School (previously known as the CUNY-J school). Located in New York, this diversity initiative trains 20 young journalists of color, funding their expenses and connecting them to media companies throughout the city. Khan interned with the investigative reporting outlet ProPublica.
How did you hear about your internship? What made you want to apply?
It took a lot of Googling. There are a lot of really amazing, extremely generous scholarships and programs out there that I wouldn’t have been aware of without the many hours researching. I came across the Knight-CUNYJ program a few times in internship listings.
What are your favorite memories from your experience?
New York is really fun, as it turns out. Even the media training by the initiative was a fulfilling time. But having my first story published was the most relieving, wonderful experience.
We also went out for karaoke and I repped Michigan by singing Mr. Brightside. I don’t care if anyone thinks it’s basic. It’s still a banger my 2009 middle school self loved and no amount of football tailgates can take that away from me.
What is the culture like in your program?
The Knight-CUNYJ is a wonderful program if you are a person of color who aims to go into this industry. You get a great support group and teachers of a similar background. You are trained in a wide array of multimedia tools that are important to the field. You are worked hard — I was bone-deep tired every day, but that’s the expectation.
I got along with my cohort so well — I made some amazing friends and we all carried each other through an exhausting and rewarding few months. A guy saw me cry three days in a row and I don’t really consider myself a crier. He doesn’t believe me when I say that and that’s okay.
I would 100 percent recommend anyone to apply to this program when applications open early next year.