Persistent in Pursuit of Answers Kathryn E. Young '19 got a Reynolds Business Scholarship that allowed her to intern at her hometown newspaper, the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

By Lindsey Nair
December 11, 2017

Kathryn E. Young ’19
Majors: Journalism and Business Administration

Where did you intern this summer?

Richmond Times-Dispatch

Tell us a little bit about that organization:

The Richmond Times-Dispatch is the primary newspaper in Virginia’s capital city. It has the second-largest circulation of any Virginia newspaper.

Describe your job there:

I worked as a business reporting intern. I pitched, researched and wrote stories on business-related happenings in Richmond and its surrounding counties. I wrote 42 articles over the course of my 10 weeks, including two Metro Business cover stories, four Sunday Business cover stories, seven A1 cover stories, and various daily business and metro stories. This internship was made possible by a Reynolds Business Scholarship.

What was the best story or project you worked on?

During my second week as an intern, I took to the skies in an airplane owned by CoStar, a company that focuses on real estate research. I flew above downtown Richmond, as well as surrounding counties, to learn more about the business and how they collect their research. We even flew above my high school, which was very cool. I wrote my first Metro Business cover story about the company. It was a unique experience to see my city from a new angle.

Who did you meet, such as a source, a story subject or a mentor, that made the most vivid impression on you – and why?

Another Sunday business cover story I wrote was about five local entrepreneurs from less fortunate backgrounds who worked for the opportunity to turn their livese around. Two of the five had a history of drug abuse, and another two spent time in prison. All five, thanks to a local nonprofit, are now small business owners. It was inspiring to learn how far they have come as a result of hard work and dedication.

When did you feel the most challenged and how did you meet that challenge?

Trying to work with public relations people from companies proved to be more difficult than I anticipated. At the end of the day, public relations people represent the company; they do not work for the media. As a result, they may not answer all questions, and may not respond in a timely fashion. As a result, I had to learn to be more persistent in my pursuit of answers, and had to learn how to ask the right questions.

Did anything about the location of your internship really excite you?

I am a Richmond native, so I was just really excited to live at home and spend time with my family!

Will this internship impact the direction of your career in any way?

It made me truly realize how much I love writing. I never quite knew what type of journalism was my calling, but I could see myself writing for a newspaper.

How did W&L help to prepare you for this opportunity?

My professors in the journalism department were incredibly helpful coming into this internship. Learning how to write well from Prof. Cumming in Journalism 201 was particularly useful. However, my extra-curricular experiences with the Ring-tum Phi and Rockbridge Report gave an extra boost to my interviewing skills and confidence when interviewing.

Did any particular grant or other funding, besides your personal funding, help pay for this opportunity? Reynolds Business Scholarship

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