By Jamie Lu
Each summer, the Osprey Observer hosts an internship program for high school and college students interested in supporting the local community through journalism. Read on to learn more about this year’s set of interns.
Ella Baroni
Ella Baroni is a senior in high school planning to study communications and public relations. She decided to apply for the internship to give her a better understanding of reporting, journalism and what her future career may look like. Her goal for the internship was to write stories about people who do good and may go unnoticed.
“My favorite part has been learning about all these organizations through my assignments, taking initiative to better the community,” Baroni said. “It’s very empowering.”
One fun fact about Baroni is that she has been playing soccer her entire life and has traveled across the U.S. and even to Barcelona, Spain, to compete.
Chloe Wagner
Chloe Wagner is a recent graduate from the University of Central Florida. She majored in print and digital journalism with a minor in political science.
Wagner applied to the Observer because she wanted to start her career with an outlet close to home. She grew up reading the Observer and was eager to join the team and bolster her portfolio while looking for jobs in the area.
“I’ve loved covering a variety of stories throughout the community,” Wagner said. “I’ve always admired and championed the importance of community news. I think it’s vital that community outlets such as the Observer exist because people often trust them more than larger, more commercialized outlets. It’s always so heartwarming to see communities hold events and celebrate each other’s successes!”
One fun fact about Wager is that she is a fourth-generation Tampeño and a huge fan of the Tampa Bay sports scene, especially the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Abigail Dumas
Abigail Dumas is a junior at Newsome Highschool. She applied for the internship because she wants to work in journalism in the future and sought to gain experience in the field. Her goal was to learn more about journalistic writing and the inner workings of the profession.
“My favorite part of the internship has been receiving the Osprey Observer newspapers and seeing my own articles in them,” Dumas said.
She writes for both Newsome’s yearbook and school paper.
Jamie Lu
Jamie Lu is a sophomore at the University of Missouri. She is double-majoring in journalism and constitutional democracy, with minors in creative writing, linguistics, history and political science.
Lu applied to the internship to support her hometown through reporting while she studied abroad in the Philippines this summer. She is a proponent of local journalism and wants to practice investigative journalism in the future.
One fun fact about Lu is that she is a competitive fencer for the University of Missouri.
Shrishti Tripathi
Shrishti Tripathi is a senior at Newsome High School who wants to major in business or finance on a prelaw track.
She applied for an internship with the Osprey Observer to gain hands-on journalism experience and connect with her local community by telling impactful, real-world stories. Her goals with the internship were to hone her feature writing and interviewing skills, learn how to capture local perspectives effectively and gain a stronger understanding of community-driven publishing as she prepares for college.
“My favorite part has been having the creative freedom to research and write local feature stories that highlight the people and events making a difference in our area. It’s been incredible to take a story from an initial idea, interview community members and see the final piece come to life for readers,” Tripathi said.
Some fun facts about Tripathi are that she performs color guard, manages social media for her school band and does sports and portrait photography.
Zofia Osterman
Zofia Osterman is a Newsome High School graduate and a current sophomore at the University of Central Florida. She is studying communications and applied for an internship with the Osprey Observer to see what it would be like to work at a newspaper as a journalist.
Her goals were to improve her writing and interviewing skills, build confidence and gain experience for her future career.
“My favorite part of this internship has been meeting people from my community, interviewing them, and sharing their stories through my writing,” Osterman said. “I have also enjoyed connecting with people from all different walks of life and learning about their unique experiences.”
One fun fact about Osterman is that she is a military child and has moved six times. She’s also attended three elementary schools and two middle schools.
