The Arizona Republic continues its summer tradition of hosting undergraduate and graduate students from across the country to develop the next generation of journalists.
The 23 students who joined the Phoenix newsroom this summer were Pulliam Fellows, Dow Jones News Foundation interns, and interns returning from school in Arizona. His 10-week posting period provides a professional-level newsroom face-to-face experience.
This year, The Republic will host its first-ever bilingual internship in partnership with the Hispanic Journalists National Association and the Pedro Gomez Foundation, which honors the late ESPN reporter who started his career with The Republic. This internship was created as an opportunity for bilingual journalism students to enhance their coverage of Spanish-speaking Arizona residents. Gomez was a Cuban-American Major League Baseball reporter, a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America, and an advocate for Hispanic MLB players throughout his career. Interns will report and write about community news and sports in English and Spanish for The Republic and La Voz, The Republic’s Spanish-language publication.
Each summer, Pulliam Fellows work in the newsrooms of the Republic and the Indianapolis Star. They honor the legacy of the Pulliam family, who owned both papers until they sold them to Gannett in 2001. Fellows are assigned to news, feature and sports desks, as well as visual and digital production teams.
Meet The Republic Summer 2023 Interns and Fellows
Megan Buffington, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Dow Jones News Foundation Intern
Buffington is a journalism student from Pequot Lakes, Minnesota. During her internship at Public Media, Nebraska, she reported her feature story on the Superfund site in Hastings, Nebraska. Before graduating in December, Buffington will complete an advanced reporting project on sustainable agriculture in Nebraska. She will also serve as her project manager for UNL’s student publication, She is The Daily Nebraskan. She is back in northern Minnesota where she hopes to freelance and contribute data and feature articles related to the environment, politics and history.
Yamirez Cabrera, Arizona State University-La Voz Intern
Cabrera is a student at Arizona State University with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication with an emphasis in Social Media and Content Creation. She helps manage La Voz’s social her productions, including creating story her cards, newsreels, and social her content for bilingual audiences. Yamirez is also skilled at copyediting articles and translating them into Spanish, as she previously worked for the State Press, a newspaper run by ASU students.
Abigail Selya, Northern Arizona University, Breaking News Intern
Selya is a junior with a minor in psychology and a journalism degree from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, where she participates in the university’s honors program. In her free time she enjoys writing and she has self-published her four books, including Poetry and Fantasy Her Romance. She has a beta fish named Vision and Fitz, an English bulldog named after legendary Arizona Cardinal Larry Fitzgerald.
Fernando Cervantes, Tufts University, Pulliam Fellow
Cervantes is an up-and-coming senior majoring in Film and Media Studies. He grew up in Dallas and has a passion for football and news. Cervantes previously interned at the Dallas Morning News, WGBH Boston and Boston.com. When Cervantes doesn’t follow his passion for journalism, he enjoys running and watching football. He is looking forward to experiencing the Arizona summer up and down the canyon.
Deannie Chavez, Pulliam Fellow, Arizona State University
Chavez is a bilingual multimedia journalist and fresh graduate majoring in journalism and mass communication with a minor in criminology. As an undergraduate, Chavez interned as a photographer for PHOENIX Magazine. She also worked in the newsroom for Cronkite Her News in Washington, DC. Last summer, Chavez completed a fellowship with News21, a national investigative journalism initiative, to tell the stories of police and community members affected by police reform.
Joshua Edler Davis, Pulliam Fellow, Grambling State University
Edler Davis is a senior major in Mass Communications with an emphasis on Broadcast Journalism. A San Diego native, he has a passion for sports and giving back to those in need. At Grambling, Edler Davis joins the Student Union, heads the student newspaper, and serves as a royal bodyguard. He is looking forward to covering the Diamondbacks and exploring Arizona this summer.
Ally Feinberg, University of Missouri, Pulliam Fellow
Feinberg is a recent graduate of the University of Missouri, where she was a staff writer for Columbia-Missouri, covering city, county, and state governments. She grew up in her DC suburb of Washington, Virginia and hopes to eventually return to her capital. She has a passion for election coverage and enjoys exploring Arizona.
Kye Graves, Scottsdale Community College, Breaking News Intern
A lifelong Arizona sports fan, Graves supports the Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Mercury, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Arizona Cardinals. He has a journalism degree from his College in Scottsdale His Community and intends to transfer to his ASU one day. He used to want to be a sports reporter, but he’s found a new passion in covering politics and local news.
Olivia Grace Afia Gapon, University of Missouri, Pulliam Fellow
Gapon is an up-and-coming junior who double majored in journalism and political science with a minor in constitutional democracy. Originally from Silver Spring, Maryland, she plans to return there after completing her undergraduate degree to pursue a law degree and pursue her policy writing career.
Jodicee Arianna Harris, Community Relations/Events Intern, Mesa Community College
Harris, a fresh graduate majoring in journalism and new media studies, was working as a breaking news intern in the summer of 2022. I plan to continue my studies at university in the fall, where I hope to pursue multimedia journalism and sports journalism. Jodi Sea hopes her internship will help her become a more experienced writer and learn more about the art of storytelling.
Dina Kaur, Pulliam Fellow, Michigan State University
Kaul is a fresh graduate majoring in journalism and public relations. She grew up in Boston and is passionate about covering her underrated voice and unique story through her work. Kaul has worked as a news intern for The Patriot Ledger and as a news/feature intern for the Cape Cod Times. At MSU, she served as editor-in-chief of She Honors, part of the College of State She-News, and chaired the Social She-Media Committee of Sigma, Delta-She Tau.
Serena Lin, Pulliam Fellow, Yale University
Lynn is a fresh graduate majoring in English Literature with a focus on non-fiction writing. In her capstone project, she explored the intersection of mental illness and criminal liability. She is from Philadelphia and a longtime sports fan.
Eli McKown, Pulliam Fellow, Michigan State University
Mr. McCann majored in journalism and minored in public relations as a fresh graduate. He grew up on a ranch in Clayton, Michigan, where he helped plant and harvest corn, soybeans, and wheat. McCann worked as a reporter and editor for State News, covering Michigan State Track and Field. He interned for a year with the Grand Rapids Griffins, the AHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings, and worked as a freelancer for the Detroit Free Press.
Sivan Plotkin, Social Media Intern, Arizona State University
A native of Long Island, New York, Plotkin is a student at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, graduating in the fall with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications. She is associated with Hillel at her ASU and is president of her sorority, Alpha Epsilon Phi. As a member of her social team, she creates graphics and video content for her social account on The Republic.
Madeline Rosenberg, Cornell University, Pulliam Fellow
Rosenberg is a recent Cornell University graduate majoring in history and American studies with a focus on race and policy. She was editor-in-chief of the college newspaper, The Cornell Daily Sun, and interned at the American Prospect, a national affairs and policy magazine. She has also reported for news outlets in Ithaca, New York and her hometown outside of New York City. In her senior year of college, Rosenberg wrote the history of “Better Homes in America,” the single-family housing campaign in the United States in the early 20th century, as a thesis honoring her history.
Helen Rumel, Indiana University, Pulliam Fellow
Rummel is a recent graduate studying journalism with a focus on news writing and editing, with a minor in Spanish. She is editor-in-chief of the Indiana Daily Student and previously served as the publication’s editor-in-chief and corporate editor. Last summer, Rammel interned at Chalkbeat Indiana. She has been recognized by the Indiana Chapter of the Association of Professional Journalists for her work in breaking news. Rummel hails from the Indianapolis area and has just competed in her eighth Indy 500.
Elena Santa Cruz, Arizona State University, City and Community News Intern
A native of Arizona, Santa Cruz graduated with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 2021, but quickly shifted to journalism. He graduated in December 2022 with a master’s degree in investigative journalism. At ASU, while at the top of her program at the Howard Center for Investigative Reporting, she worked with the global press on national investigations.
April Santana, Syracuse University, Pedro Gomez Foundation Intern
Santana is an up-and-coming fourth-year student at SI Newhouse School of Public Communication, majoring in Political Science, Magazines, News, and Digital Journalism. In Syracuse, the New Jersey native worked on several newshouse reporting projects and was a staff writer for the local community newspaper, South Side Stand. Santana is a member of the Campus Chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
Jasper Smith, Howard University, Dow Jones News Foundation Intern
Smith is from Phoenix and majored in journalism with a minor in sociology. She is the editor-in-chief of The Hilltop, the nation’s oldest college newspaper, and will resume her position next year. Jasper has covered her admissions trends, campus threats, student financial aid concerns, and homelessness in DC. She has contributed to Open Campus Media, where she covers higher education, and Street Sense Media, where she learned accountability reports.
Logan Stanley, Arizona State University, Podcast Intern
Stanley is a sports journalism graduate student aiming to graduate in December. He has four years of experience as a freelance journalist in Northern California, and last year at Mile Split he covered high school cross country and track and field as an editor in Arizona. He attended Eastern Washington University for his bachelor’s degree, where he earned a BA in Journalism News Editing with a minor in History. In the future, he wants to become a writer for NFL Beats and host his own podcast every week.
Ellie Willard, Arizona State University, Breaking News Intern
Willard is a senior in journalism with a minor in sustainability. She has interned on her PHOENIX Magazine photography team and has worked as an editor for various ASU newspapers. She would like to report further on sustainability and community issues.
Aidan Wohl, Breaking News Intern, University of Arizona
Wall is from Westchester County, New York and is in his fourth year as a journalism and communications student. He has held internships covering sports at GOAZCATS.com, American Football International and UATV. He has also been a reporter for the Tucson Weekly and has worked with Arizona Public Media.
Isabella Zarate, University of Illinois, Pulliam Fellow
A recent graduate, Sarate majored in journalism, specializing in global studies and English, and worked as a freelance writer and reporter for a university alumni magazine. Growing up in Bainbridge, Indiana, Sarate spent a lot of time outside chasing adventures.
