Coleman Benefits from Prestigious Internship at NPR

Elizabeth Brixey Newspaper Journalism Faculty

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Columbia Missourian KBIA MU Department of Student Life National Public Radio

Columbia, Mo. (Sept. 12, 2005) -- Yolanda Coleman, a senior magazine major at the Missouri School of Journalism, recently spent the summer in Washington, D.C. interning for National Public Radio (NPR). Coleman was selected out of more than 1,000 applicants to be a part of NPR's summer internship where she served as the publicity and events intern in the communications department.

Yolanda Coleman

Coleman, originally from Paducah, Ky., has worked for the Columbia Missourian as both a higher education beat reporter and a graphic designer. She also works for the MU Department of Student Life and Mizzou After Dark on the University of Missouri campus.

"It was an amazing experience," Coleman said. "I planned the final luncheon and banquet for interns involved with Intern Edition. It was quite an undertaking since it was the premiere luncheon with interns and supervisors as well as NPR staff."

Coleman's job duties included planning and overseeing key public events for NPR personalities such as Juan Williams, Michele Norris, Susan Stamberg and Nina Totenberg. She also contributed to the intern summer project, Intern Edition, and was instrumental in increasing publicity for the premiere of the program, both internally and externally. The program debuted in August and was written, produced and edited entirely by interns such as Coleman.

Coleman felt like her experience at the Missouri School of Journalism helped her to land the internship since it was here that she developed many of her communication and interviewing skills that she relied heavily on during the summer.

"From the first time I met Yolanda, I was struck by her ability to connect with people," said Elizabeth Brixey, assistant professor and an editor at the Columbia Missourian. "That warmth carries into her storytelling. She is gracious, funny and charming."

NPR is a nationally acclaimed provider of news, information and entertainment programming for public radio. It has welcomed more than 50 college and graduate students to its headquarters in Washington, D.C. for their unique summer internship program. KBIA, owned by the University of Missouri, is a National Public Radio-member station. It carries programming from Public Radio International and other providers and is one of the most successful public radio stations in the nation. KBIA is a significant part of our research and experiment with the School's Convergence Journalism sequence.

Revee Booth is a senior journalism major in the magazine sequence. Originally from the small town of Philadelphia, Mo., she wants to pursue a career in public relations upon graduation. Booth has held internships with the MU College of Business Office of Advancement and with the Missouri Department of Transportation.