The Sports Journalism Institute announces the Class of 2011

Student / School / Internship
(Clockwise from the top left):

• Sarah Kuta, Northwestern, Denver Post (AWSM scholar)
• Ignacio Marquez, Cal-State Northridge, Colorado Springs Gazette
• Chris Torres, Hampton University, Palm Beach Post (Hampton/Scripps scholar)
• Mike Martinez, University of Detroit Mercy, MLB.com
• Chaunte’l Powell, Hampton University, Asbury Park Press (Hampton/Scripps scholar)
• Craig Malveaux, Loyola University of New Orleans, Houston Chronicle
• Tariq Lee, Temple University, The Oklahoman
• Elizabeth Torres, Emerson College, ESPN RISE
• Patricia Lee, Duke University, ESPNW
• Carron Phillips, Syracuse University, Salt Lake Tribune
• Jay Lee, University of Illinois, MLB.com

The 19th edition of SJI features a number of strides the program has made in extending its reach. For example:

• For the first time SJI and the Association of Women in Sports Media (AWSM) join forces in selecting a student to participate in SJI.
• SJI has expanded its partnership with ESPN and MLB.com with a placement of a second student at each entity.

The result is a strong, rainbow-coalition-worthy class of seven men and four women — five African-Americans, three Hispanics, two Asian-Americans — who will be interns at seven APSE newspapers plus ESPNW, ESPN RISE and MLB.com.

Northwestern’s Sarah Kuta is the program’s first participant as the AWSM/SJI partnership.

“AWSM is excited to begin this partnership with the Sports Journalism Institute,” AWSM president Amy Moritz said. “We share the same desire to help create diversity in sports departments nationwide and believe one of the best ways to do that is through education and experience.”

SJI’s mission is — as it was when it was founded in 1992 — to add diversity to the nation’s sports media.

But in 2011, diversity means not just a diverse staff, but diverse forms of news delivery. As our industry changes and emphasizes electronic delivery, SJI has become a multiplatform institution, so that the interns who graduate from the program are fully trained to serve the needs of a changing sports media, one that relies on internet, video, tape and printed delivery of news.

This year, both ESPN and MLB.com expanded participation by increasing their number of students from one to two.

“The quality of candidates from SJI is top notch and we expect no less when Elizabeth Torres and Patricia Lee begin their ESPN experience,” said Joe Franco, manager of university and diversity recruiting and relations at ESPN.

For the second straight year SJI assists APSE in its partnership with Hampton University’s Scripps Howard School of Journalism. This year’s partnership also brings in two new newspaper partners — the Asbury Park Press and Palm Beach Post.

For the first time since 1994, SJI has a repeat performer as Tariq Lee not only returns to SJI, but he also returns to The Oklahoman.

Once again, SJI thanks its partners at the Asian-American Journalists Association (which selects one member of the class each year), the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (which promotes our program in email newsletters to student members educators nationwide) and the National Association of Black Journalists (whose Sports Task Force chair Gregory Lee Jr is an SJI alum, and which faithfully promotes and works with SJI).

SJI also thanks APSE for its continued financial and advisory support, and Chicago Tribune Foundation for funding through the years.

Thanks also go to Kenny Irby, Roy Peter Clark and all the staff at the Poynter Institute, where the students will receive training this year, as they have for the past four summers.

The Sports Journalism Institute, Class of 2010.

The Class of 2010

Student/School/Internship
(Pictured clockwise from the top left):

• Aaron Hilton, Hampton University, Sacramento Bee
  “Journalism isn’t just a profession for me; sports journalism is my passion. I’ve known since high school that my goal was to be one of the best sports journalists in the country. As a journalist I am pushed to always strive for perfection and never to settle for mediocrity. That’s why I love it so much; sports journalism demands both excellence in the field of journalism and a greater knowledge of the sport you’re covering.”
• Kyle Goon, Maryland, Salt Lake Tribune
  “A lot of people play sports and eventually get into sports journalism, but my lack of athleticism is sort of legendary. I played baseball, soccer and was on my high school track team, and I flopped in each. … I do play 2 sports decently — Frisbee and racquetball — but the scouts haven’t called yet. I’m interested in sports journalism because I like watching others accomplish amazing physical feats.” Editor’s note: Goon was recently hired by the Salt Lake Tribune after a successful summer internship.
• Aaron Martinez, UTEP, Houston Chronicle
  “I’ve been working at UTEP’s student newspaper The Prospector for more than two years, and I took over as editor in chief in the fall of 2009. After working at a twice-weekly newspaper for two years, I am very excited to work at a daily this summer and getting the experience of a major newspaper.”
• Amelia Rayno, Emerson, Star Tribune in Minneapolis
  “Since I was a little girl, I’ve had a fascination with discovering things and writing them down. Since I was 8, I’ve kept an extensive journal…As I grew older I realized this passion could be combined with another of mine, for sports, and could serve to transform a solitary moment in a game or in the locker room into a meaningful anecdote, explanation or analogy.”
• Cheng Sio, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs Gazette
  “In my recommendation letters, words describing me include intense, driven, assertive, focused, dogged, conscientious, sincere and thoughtful. … If I graduate in May as I expect to, this summer means the beginning of a new chapter in my life. No school—just me and my future in sports journalism.”
• Malik Smith, Hampton Univeristy, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  “Sports has been my main passion for as long as I could remember and being a journalist was always something I’ve wanted to do even before I realized it myself. I’m excited for this opportunity to showcase my talents and abilities and hopefully through this experience I can become a better writer.
• Didier Morais, Syracuse, MLB.com
  “I am trilingual. Besides speaking English and Spanish, I can hold a conversation, and potentially an interview, in French. … I’m looking forward to the summer because it will have meant that I officially have graduated from Syracuse University and that I will be commencing the next phase of my life.”
• Tariq Lee, Temple, The Oklahoman
  “I run track for a Division I university, intern with the Philadelphia Inquirer and maintain a 3.0 GPA all during the school year. I am looking forward to being given daily deadlines this summer, and I am sure they will be strict.”
• Shemar Woods, Hampton University, Denver Post
  “I strive to bring a creative and informed perspective to every real-life situation I cover. Whether the medium is newspaper, radio or television, I absolutely enjoy working in sports media because the business and its relationship with the consumer hold professionals to a unique standard of excellence.”
• Alex Prewitt, Tufts, ESPN.com
  “I can think of no better way to spend my first full summer away from home than interning at ESPN, my dream job . … Last summer I wrote an article about Tiger Woods’ alleged flatulence at the Buick Open (with a statement from the PGA Tour denying any involvement by Tiger). I am thoroughly embarrassed that this was my first piece published in USA Today!”
• Isis Roberts, Cal-Long Beach, Santa Cruz Sentinel
  “I am very ambitious and I never settle for anything less than the best. I look forward to the summer because …I feel this program will push and challenge me. That is exactly what I want in order to improve as a journalist and a person. I look forward to following in the footsteps of the 200 journalists who have led the way before me.”

The Sports Journalism Institute class of 2009.

The class of 2009

Student/School/Internship
(Pictured above clockwise from the top left)

• Andrew Johnson, Morehouse College, Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer
• Ana Kim, North Carolina, Buffalo News
• Juan Lopez, Nevada-Reno, Colorado Springs Gazette
• Jordan Mason, North Carolina, ESPN
• Larry Young, Southern University, Houston Chronicle
• Anica Wong, Stanford, Denver Post
• David Ubben, Missouri, The Oklahoman
• Ronnie Turner, University of Houston, Salt Lake Tribune
• Nate Taylor, Central Missouri, Star Tribune in Minneapolis

In a year of unprecedented economic turmoil, the Sports Journalism Institute is delighted to announce it has completed the selection and placement of students for the Class of 2009. The result is a strong, rainbow-coalition-worthy class of seven men and two women— six African-Americans, one Hispanic, one Asian-American and one Hispanic/Asian-American — who will be interns at eight APSE newspapers and at ESPN (where 3 former APSE presidents, among others, will be there for support).

“A big thank you should go to APSE and others who have made Class 2009 a reality in these tough economic times,” said Leon Carter, SJI co-director and sports editor of the New York Daily News. “We had a record number of applications. We have a very good class and the interns will be ready for duty once they complete boot camp at Poynter in early June.”

SJI’s mission is—as it was when it was founded in 1992—to add diversity to the nation’s sports media. But in 2009, diversity means not just a diverse staff, but diverse forms of news delivery. As the news industry changes and emphasizes electronic delivery, SJI must become more of a multi-platform institution, so that the interns who graduate from the program are fully trained to serve the needs of a changing sports media, one that relies on internet, video, tape and printed delivery of news.

To that end, SJI is delighted to welcome ESPN to the table. Former APSE presidents Vince Doria, Don Skwar and Sandy Rosenbush (SJI co-founder/co-director) are all at ESPN, where director of production recruitment Fred Brown made the decision to participate in SJI.

“ESPN is always looking to diversify its workforce, and SJI represents a strong possible source to tap those diverse candidates just entering the field,” said Skwar, senior news editor who oversees the news coverage of ESPN games and its bureau reporters and producers.

Once again, SJI thanks its partners at the Asian-American Journalists Association (which selects one member of the class each year), the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (which promotes our program in email newsletters to student members educators nationwide) and the National Association of Black Journalists (whose Sports Task Force chair Greg Lee is an SJI alum, and which faithfully promotes and works with SJI). SJI also thanks APSE for its continued financial and advisory support, and the Chicago Tribune Foundation and New York Daily News for funding through the years.

Thanks also go to Keith Woods, Kenny Irby, Roy Peter Clark and all the staff at the Poynter Institute, where the students will receive training this year (May 29-June 7), as they have for the past three summers. Jack Sheppard’s staff at the St. Petersburg Times will again print the student newspaper, The Bulletin, to be delivered at the APSE convention in Pittsburgh. Having students take classes at and receive instruction from Poynter professionals has saved SJI more than $10,000 a year and, along with APSE, is greatly responsible for the financial viability of the institute in these troubled times.

SJI had aimed for a class of 10 this year and was prepared to accept and place 12 students. But four newspapers that regularly participate had their intern budgets slashed in the brutal economy. Fortunately, other outlets were ready and waiting, and SJI is happy to welcome back The Oklahoman and the Buffalo News to the family this summer. And when it comes to family, the members don’t get any closer than the Houston Chronicle, the only outlet that has been a participant in SJI since Day One in the early 1990s. Dan Cunningham, take a bow!