(Former) NPR Interns: What Part of NPR Life Made You Want to Stay?
Meet The Former Interns
Patricia Cervini
Current Title: Sr. Manager, Member & Audience Partnership
Internship: Public Affairs in 1982
John Asante
Current Title: Editorial Assistant, Talk of the Nation
Internship: Weekend All Things Considered in 2009
Audie Cornish
Current Title: Host, All Things Considered
Internship: National Desk in 2000
Anna Sebok
Current Title: Administrative Coordinator, Programming
Internship: Development Special Events in 2008
Sara Richards
Current Title: Production Assistant, NPR Berlin and Sirius/XM, Programming
Internship: Arts & Information Desk in 2007
Jason DeRose
Current Title: Western Bureau Chief, NPR News
Internship: Washington Desk in 1995
As shared in this post, we're talking with a few NPR staffers who were once NPR interns. For today and tomorrow, the premiere day of Intern Edition – an intern-led, web-based program – we'll share the first impressions, advice and stories that made their intern experiences as memorable as our own.
There's something about "NPR life" that draws interns to stay around – there are numerous current staff members who used to be interns. Reflecting on your own internship experience, describe what influenced your desire to stay at NPR.
John Asante: "Right away, I realized how creative and smart my fellow interns and (future) colleagues were when it came to discussing how to analyze daily news and construct quality content. Also, I loved the fact that the people who have been at NPR for several years really want the younger ones to do better, which is a feeling I didn't experience in other internships."
Anna Sebok: "The people, the camaraderie, and the incredible work that NPR produces on a daily basis."
Jason DeRose: "My internship helped me realize that I was too young and that I should work at a local member station for a while longer until I had more experience. I wanted to be well-prepared for a job at NPR. And local member stations are the best place to get that experience."
Sara Richards: "A huge part of the reason I wanted to stay after my internship was the people. I had never been around so many fiercely smart and talented people that were also incredibly generous with their time. They would carve time out of their busy schedule to help me with a project, mentor me, offer me advice, or give me constructive criticism. To me, that is invaluable."
Patricia Cervini: "I didn't exactly stay around, I returned. In fact, 10 years to the day (almost), I was back at NPR. The first person that I bumped into while I was waiting to get my badge in HR was Anne Kaufman. I remember thinking "my god, she's been here forever!" And now I just celebrated my 20th anniversary. Yikes."
Audie Cornish: "For me it was working on the summer intern project run by Doug Mitchell. I was the executive producer for what came to be Intern Edition. We held auditions for the "hosts", wrote up a little faux newscast, and paired everyone up in producer/reporter teams for features. Everyone had to learn digital editing – NPR was still on reel-to-reel tape. By the time we managed to get the show ready for its "premiere" we were all exhausted. And I wanted to do it again."