The Long Island Herald is divided by town, and each town has an editor, reporter, and sometimes intern. Over the summer there is a specific internship program that works to ensure interns meet each other. At the end of the program mentors and interns go on field trip together and work on a series of interrelated stories. It’s like summer camp, except not really.
My first day I was brought to a town hall meeting and asked to help write a piece about what was discussed. My next assignment was a business story on a real estate company opening a location in Wantagh. These projects were diverse too. One day there was a bomb threat at Wantagh High School I was able followed my mentor to. The three of these all happened in my first week interning.
After that it was by-line after by-line. I was rolling big as more stories kept coming my way and more important people started recognizing me at events. I got a press badge, weathered my notebook down, and truly felt myself become a contributing member of society.
