Summer Fellowships
The Indianapolis Press Club Foundation believes in providing paid summer fellowship opportunities for deserving college journalism students.
2023 Fellows
Kom
Weiss
Lobjanidze
Abby Kom
Butler University
Kom is working at Indy Maven.
“I’m ecstatic to work with the incredible women at Indy Maven. The chance to not only gain knowledge from the writers and professionals working at the digital media platform, but also getting to interact with the women changing the city of Indianapolis is an opportunity that she will cherish. I’m also excited to develop her promotional writing and marketing skills in a fun and creative environment.”
Mesgana Waiss
Ball State University
Waiss is working at Indiana Landmarks.
“I am most excited to research and write about historic properties and communities at Indiana Landmarks this summer.”
Mariam Lobjanidze
DePauw University
Lobjanidze is working at WFYI.
“At WFYI, I am most excited about being in a collaborative environment that will allow me to learn more about broadcasting. In addition, I would like to network and connect with my colleagues and mentors in order to successfully pursue journalism. Even though I have broadcasting experience, I think this fellowship will challenge and motivate me in new and interesting ways. Therefore, I am looking forward to improving my skills as a journalist.”
Kom, Waiss and Lobjanidze will each spend 10 weeks at their summer internships. We are grateful to The Indianapolis Foundation, an affiliate of Central Indiana Community Foundation, for providing support since our foundation can support only two of the three fellowships.
2022-2023 Fall/Spring Fellow
Williams
Kamya Williams
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Freshman
Williams is working at the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper during her fall 2022 and spring 2023 semesters.
Williams is a journalism and broadcast journalism major at IUPUI. We cannot wait to see the stories she writes.
We are grateful to The Indianapolis Foundation, an affiliate of Central Indiana Community Foundation, for providing support for Williams’s internship.
2022 Fellows
Uber
Waiss
Emma Uber
Indiana University Sophomore
Uber worked at Indianapolis Monthly
“This challenged me to be creative and curious, as well as learn how to pitch for an entirely different type of publication than I am used to. I definitely feel like I learned a lot.”
Mesgana Waiss
Ball State University Junior
Waiss worked at the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper
“I learned a lot working at The Indianapolis Recorder. I feel as though I have a better understanding of newswriting and how to operate in the world of journalism post-graduation.”
Uber and Waiss spent 10 weeks at their summer internships. We are grateful to The Indianapolis Foundation, an affiliate of Central Indiana Community Foundation, for providing support for the internship at the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper.
2021 Fellows
Herron
Lambert
TerBush
Abriana Herron
Indiana University Senior
Herron worked at the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper.
“I feel like I learned a lot in my 10 weeks at The Recorder. I do wish I could have stayed a little longer. I feel like I still have so much left to learn.”
Terrence Lambert
IUPUI Senior
Lambert worked at the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper.
“It was a little rough at the beginning, but nearly all internships start out rough. I’ve learned so much throughout these 10 weeks … which has helped me grow into a better writer and journalist through this program.”
Carson TerBush
Indiana University Sophomore
TerBush worked at Chalkbeat Indiana
“I definitely learned a lot through the fellowship. I had a great experience pitching and
writing stories and learning from great editing.”
Herron, Lambert and TerBush each spent 10 weeks at their summer internships. We are grateful to The Indianapolis Foundation, an affiliate of Central Indiana Community Foundation, for providing support for Herron’s internship since our foundation can support only two of the three fellowships.
2020 Fellows
Azziz
Mikaili Azziz
IUPUI Sophomore
Mikaili Azziz, an IUPUI sophomore, worked at the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper.
“I do feel that I’ve learned a great deal from my fellowship… I can’t say anything negative about any aspect of my experience.”
Isaacman
Emily Isaacman
Indiana University Junior
Emily Isaacman, an Indiana University junior, worked at Chalkbeat Indiana.
“If anything, the fellowship was better than I expected. I was impressed by the level of attention my editors gave me. They regularly asked what I wanted to work on and tailored my assignments and their focus to fit those goals.”
Both Azziz and Isaacman produced some terrific stories despite being required to follow social-distancing rules when reporting and covering news.
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2019 Fellows
Emily Cox
Emily Cox spent 10 weeks at WFYI.
“My fellowship was even better than expected,” said Emily Cox, a Ball State Univeresity graduate. “I got to cover challenging subjects/high interest events. I learned so much and gained great connections.
Sorell Grow spent 10 weeks at IBJ.
“This fellowship program is a tremendous opportunity for students who want to pursue journalism because it can be so hard to find internships of this caliber that are actually paid,” said Sorell Grow, a senior at Butler University. “I am so grateful to have had this opportunity!”
“I was pleasantly surprised at how much freedom IBJ allowed me to write stories on a broad array of topics and styles –from quick breaking news to longform features,” Grow added.
Sorell Grow
2018 Fellows
Sarah Panfil
Sarah Panfil, Indiana University, worked at WFYI.
“In a field like journalism and media in general, it’s so difficult to find work that pays…. The fellowship allowed me to work full time for WFYI and I really felt like a part of the team.”
Panfil spent 10 weeks at WFYI and covered a wide range of topics that included politics, transit issues, homelessness and even sinkholes in downtown Indianapolis.
“I was scared to start daily news reporting/general assignment work because quick turnarounds were always difficult for me. This fellowship taught me to jump right in and get the work done.”
Shelby Mullis
Shelby Mullis, Franklin College, worked at Chalkbeat Indiana.
“I was very impressed with the fellowship. It gave me the opportunity to jump right into a newsroom and put my skills to work.”
Mullis spent 10 weeks at Chalkbeat Indiana, an online, nonprofit educational news service. Among the topics she covered were charter schools, ethnic studies, learning disabilities and affordable housing for teachers.
“Honestly, I wish my stay at Chalkbeat could have been longer than 10 weeks, but this is coming from someone who loves to stay busy and work…. I simply want to thank the Indianapolis Press Club Foundation for this opportunity.”
2017 Fellows
Carley Lanich, the 2017 Fellow
(At her desk at Indianapolis Business Journal)
Carley Lanich, Indiana University, worked at Indianapolis Business Journal
Carley Lanich, the 2017 fellowship winner, was chosen from a field of 26 applicants. An Indiana University student, Lanich spent eight weeks working at Indianapolis Business Journal.
“I learned so much at IBJ — both about journalism and business,” Lanich said. “I found mentors in my editors and fellow reporters and am excited to say I’m walking away with some work I am really proud of.”
Lanich, a native of Indianapolis, came in second place in the foundation’s 2016 Thomas R. Keating competition. She is double majoring in journalism and political science and minoring in international studies.
“I am so grateful to the Indy Press Club for making this such an incredible and valuable learning experience.”
2016 Fellows
Alexandra Kincaid
(At Her Indy Monthly Desk)
Alexandra Kincaid, Ball State University, worked at Indianapolis Monthly.
“Throughout my eight weeks at Indy Monthly, I had multiple opportunities to report and write for both print and online, and while doing so, I was able to improve my skills as a journalist,” Kincaid said.” I was also able to gain a better understanding of the inner workings of the magazine industry and how the publication comes together.
Kincaid enjoyed having her own office at Indianapolis Monthly.
“Paid internships are difficult to come by, and your (the press foundation’s) generosity has allowed me to gain invaluable experience while not accumulating more student debt.”
Kincaid also won the foundation’s Last Row Scholarship Feature Writing Award.
Sierra Hignite, Indiana University, worked at CBS 4/Fox 59
“I got much more out of my fellowship than I expected, Hignite said. “This was my second news internship in the Indy market and it was by far the more beneficial one.
Hignite said having a paid internship made a big difference since the previous one had been unpaid.
“I felt I was able to put in more focus on my internship and really give 100 percent of my focus since I didn’t have to balance it with another job.”