SJMC Grad Heads to D.C. to Intern with NPR

September 03, 2013

Kate Dudley

School of Journalism and Mass Communication Graduate School alumna Kiana Fitzgerald will be leaving Texas next month for Washington, D.C. to begin a digital music internship with NPR. She’ll be assisting in the production of radio-to-web and web only stories for the music website.Kiana applied for the internship the first day applications were accepted last May after some nudging from a classmate. Then, she says, “I endured the waiting game.”It wasn’t until two months later on July 31, she received an email from someone in NPR’s music department. After a phone interview, editing assignment, and talk with Kym Fox, Kiana’s mentor/reference and senior lecturer at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, she had the position.“Music is such an integral part of public radio, the way it tells stories and connects with listeners,” says Fox. “The NPR internship will give Kiana an opportunity to use her new media skills and give her a chance to explore life outside Texas.”This won’t be Kiana’s first time to the city. Earlier this year she was invited to the White House Correspondents Weekend after the organization True Blue Inclusion saw her work on the South by Texas State (SXTXState) project.“I immediately fell in love with the area and knew once I graduated I would have to find my way back, but I never imagined it would happen this quickly or this awesomely,” she says.Kiana’s advice for students getting ready to graduate or just looking to land a great internship, “don’t psych yourself out of aiming for the thing you really want to do. Don’t waste time in a position that you know isn’t going to lead you toward the larger goals in your life. Know your worth and keep pushing it higher. Don’t let yourself depreciate.”