By Kori Tuitt

I was a studious high school student but was always very fickle when it came to deciding on career. Like many seniors in high school, I was catching “senioritis.” But, there was only one thing I knew for certain—I loved to write. I decided to pursue a journalism internship through WISE. With the help of one of the assistant principals of the Queens High School of Teaching at the time, I landed an internship at the TimesLedger Newspapers, a weekly publication in Queens. I had been a part of my high school paper, but I wanted to be challenged more and experience the pressure of looming deadlines.

And that’s just what I did. It wasn’t like the TV portrayals of internships—I didn’t fetch coffee, pick up people’s lunches or file paperwork all day. I produced real journalism. I stayed on as a freelance writer during the summer after my internship was through. This was the beginning of my portfolio, which helped me land other internships. During my time at the TimesLedger I got exposure to journalistic writing, press conferences, interviewing and researching skills. I also got the opportunity to interview professional journalists including Beth Knobel and WISE alum Andrew Ross Sorkin.  Part of me feels lucky because I’ve heard horror stories about internships. If I hadn’t had a fulfilling experience I would not have pursued journalism at Stony Brook University, where I am now.

My relationship with my mentor was also very important to me. My English teacher, who had initially gone to school to study journalism, helped me with everything from organizing my presentation to gifting me hand-me-down clothing to wear to my internship.

I later won a New York Press Association summer internship with the Queens Chronicle, another weekly paper in Queens, and landed a winter internship with the New York Amsterdam News, one of the oldest Black Newspapers in the country. Had it not been for my WISE internship and my involvement with the Stony Brook Independent—and online-only, student-run publication at Stony Brook University—my chances of getting real journalism experience would be very unlikely.

Most recently I was one of nine journalism students in the nation to win the Roy W. Howard National Collegiate Reporting Competition. I will be traveling to Japan with the group in May. I actually found out about the competition through another intern at the TimesLedger. (It all seems to come back to WISE, doesn’t it?)

WISE not only opened many doors of opportunity for me, it helped me grow as a person. I was an introvert and terrified at the thought of doing my end-of-project presentation. Through my internship I was exposed to and interacting with people on a weekly basis. Slowly, but surely, I was coming out of my shell and becoming more comfortable with myself. And as insignificant as it may seem, I was facing my fear of public speaking and overcoming my shyness.

I owe many of the opportunities I’ve been afforded to WISE and strongly recommend it to high school seniors, especially those suffering from “senioritis.”