Orientation opens

John Quinn opened orientation for the 26th class of Chips Quinn Scholars. The program, he said, “is not just a weekend seminar, … not just an internship, … not just a chance to learn and to travel and to see the world. It’s all of that but more. It’s a unique moment in a bold march toward diversity in newsrooms across the USA.” Spring Scholars also were welcomed by Willie Allen, photographer at the St. Petersburg Times and 2002 Scholar. Allen told the group that the Chips Quinn program provides interns with tools to be successful but that they bring to their work their hearts and minds. The 16 interns introduced themselves and talked about goals for their internships. Giselle Velazquez, a San Francisco State University graduate, said she hoped that her internship at the Ventura County (Calif.) Star would allow her to use her “passion for proper punctuation.”

-- Kate Kennedy, director, Freedom Forum