The San Diego Sun’s most recent class of interns spoiled me. Madison Geering. Joshua Silla. Calista Stocker. All are young journalists from San Diego State University with amazing work ethic and far-above-average writing skill.
Unfortunately for me but wonderful for her, Geering, who kept interning at The Sun after she graduated, got a full-time job at The San Diego Business Journal. Look for her byline.
Silla, a senior, spent more than a year writing heartfelt and earnest stories for the Sun. His passion and skill will take him to the next level. Stocker, a junior, came on board this year and immediately began producing professional-grade journalism. Next semester she’ll be co-editor of SDSU’s student newspaper.
I always learn something from working with college interns – if nothing else, how to rekindle the joy of working in the media. Journalism done right can be a societal force for good. It’s refreshing to see that through the eyes of potential-laden novices.
To close out their terms with The Sun, I asked Silla and Stocker to describe one aspect of what they learned: how to cover downtown San Diego.
JOSHUA SILLA
This was my third semester with The San Diego Sun. I’m graduating from SDSU this month with a degree in journalism media studies and a double minor in political science and science, technology and society studies. I’ve learned plenty about downtown San Diego and myself.
Thanks to various People On The Street stories and other features, I’ve explored all five of downtown’s neighborhoods. The commonality in all my interviews is residents’ gripes with civic mismanagement. With Measure E (a tax increase on the last ballot), working class people were left without a choice and voted against public infrastructure. There’s also myriad nonprofits advocating for homeless people. Civic mismanagement is impossible to miss — it’s right in front of people’s doorsteps.
Some of my interviewees may have seemed powerless — but I never thought that. Rather, I thought of them as a sort of resistance. San Diego is one of the most expensive cities to live in, and amidst all that is a crowd of underrepresented people, actively wanting more for themselves. My stories bear testimony to a struggle for better.
Downtown San Diegans are not passive collateral to civic turmoil, rather, they’re active participants in a fight for justice. I’ve learned that downtown San Diego is not dead. It’s not all Petco Park and Gaslamp Quarter. It’s the Tenth Avenue Arts Center, the Chinese History Museum and more. Downtown San Diego is its people – and while civic engagement isn’t always true to that, journalism will always be there, advocating on their behalf.
CALISTA STOCKER
Next semester, I’ll be a fourth-year student at SDSU. Two of my responsibilities will be as co-editor in chief of The Daily Aztec student newspaper and president of the SDSU chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Reflecting on my time working with The San Diego Sun, I’ve had the chance to interact with the downtown community in a new way. As an SDSU student, I rarely visit downtown, occasionally visiting the Little Italy Mercato or attending a Padres game.
This internship not only helped me get familiar with the downtown map, but also allowed me to experience the culture of each neighborhood. If I’m looking to interview tourists for a story, I’d have the easiest time finding them in the Marina District or Little Italy. If I’m looking for workers, there’s no better place than the Columbia District and Cortez Hill during lunch break. To speak with residents, East Village on a sunny day is full of locals walking their dogs.
In the heart of these neighborhoods, I’ve found everything from successful attorneys to struggling small business owners. It really is people that make the place, and being able to speak with locals has given me a new perspective on, and appreciation for, downtown. There’s more than meets the eye. Somewhat unexpectedly, I found certain areas were full of life and stories that needed to be shared. SDSun
(Interested in becoming an intern at The San Diego Sun? Send a brief cover letter, resume and two of your best writing clips to rondonoho@gmail.com.
