Missouri School of Journalism students make their mark with summer internships

By Emily Early

COLUMBIA, Mo. (Aug. 25, 2026) — Summer looks different for every student at the Missouri School of Journalism. Some study abroad, some return home, some travel and some work. Many take up internships, gaining opportunities to network and apply journalism and communication skills in different environments.

From photojournalism to graphic design to communications, students at the School of Journalism use internships to gather hands-on experience, hone their abilities and discover new passions across various fields.

“The Missouri method of hands-on learning doesn’t stop when the semester ends,” said David Kurpius, dean of the School of Journalism. “It’s great to see students taking advantage of summer internships to gather even more real-world experience all over the country.”

Below, learn how six of those students spent the summer as professional interns.

Ella Menzel

Ella Menzel is a rising senior from Atlanta interning with Tarte Cosmetics. She does graphic design work often found on the brand’s social media pages.

“It’s super cool. I’ll be scrolling on Instagram and be like, ‘Oh, I made that,’” Menzel said. “I’m designing something new everyday and really have full creative freedom.”

She’s excited to work in a field she’s interested in. Menzel originally came to Mizzou for the medical program, but she had a friend in strategic communication and decided to switch over because she liked design and art.

“[I’m taking away] a better understanding of design. The best way to learn is by being immersed in the field itself,” she said.

Not only do her responsibilities fall within her interests but so does the company. Menzel said she’s always liked beauty and makeup, so working for Tarte plays into her strengths.

“It’s so important to do what you genuinely enjoy. Work shouldn’t feel like work,” Menzel said.

Menzel’s internship has been extended into the fall, and after she graduates this December, she’s hoping to get a full-time position with the company or in a similar role.

“I’m sad to be leaving,” she added. “The J-school has been amazing. The strat comm professors are from all over the world, and you’re learning from the best of the best. I couldn’t imagine me getting this degree from any other university.”

Dan Murphy

Dan Murphy, a rising sophomore, was a photojournalism intern at GBH News, a branch of WGBH and an NPR and PBS affiliate. The multi-platform newsroom is based out of Boston, where Murphy grew up.

He began each internship day with an assignment meeting. Usually, he was assigned a daily, meaning he had to have his work filed by 2 p.m.

“It’s really special. It’s nice just on a personal level to live at home for the summer and see my friends and family,” Murphy said. “It’s also pretty meaningful to be able to contribute directly to the communities I grew up in and around.”

Murphy values how forward-thinking GBH News is in terms of digital news and enjoys learning in a professional, NPR-affiliated newsroom.

“It’s given me a lot of reps in newsgathering, talking to people, honing my craft. It’s kind of hard to do that on your own,” he said. “Just being in a professional newsroom is really valuable experience.”

With one year under his belt at the School of Journalism, Murphy has been able to hone his craft during the school year as well. He works for Mizzou athletics as a track and field photographer; the Maneater, the student-run campus newspaper; and Rock M Nation, a fan-run Mizzou Athletics blog.

“Say yes to everything,” he said. “You’re going to have so many opportunities to do really cool stuff, and a big part of college, and especially the J-School, is getting involved. Do everything.”

Kyra Michelson

Kyra Michelson, a rising senior from Kansas City, Kansas, is a Corporate Communications Intern for JE Dunn Construction. She has a variety of responsibilities, from writing copy and helping with internal and external communications to planning events and designing graphics.

“It is nice to feel like an actual member of a team and not just an intern who’s getting coffee. I really appreciated that,” Michelson said.

She enjoys the variety of tasks she got to cover and mentioned how collaborative the team and company environment is.

“I feel so lucky, I enjoyed every single second. At the end, they asked looking back what I would change and I honestly don’t think anything,” she said.

Michelson is studying strategic communication at the School of Journalism and said she is looking forward to bringing back the teamwork skills she gained from her internship, also noting how important the School of Journalism was in preparing her for the role.

“I’m really grateful for the Missouri Method that prepared me and being able to see it in real time,” she added. “This summer, I was very prepared, and I wasn’t expecting to feel very prepared.”

Michelson’s internship was extended into the fall as a remote position, and she is hoping to potentially gain a full-time role at the company post-graduation.

Kriti Dhaduvai

Kriti Dhaduvai, a rising junior from Chesterfield, Missouri, was an intern with the National Peace Corps Association this summer. She worked to make an in-depth social media strategy to grow their engagement. From posting on their website to making social media videos to writing articles, she worked in several areas this summer.

“The main thing that I’m taking out of this internship is really learning how to approach social media as a journalist,” Dhaduvai said.

The position was remote, so Dhaduvai has been able to travel to Europe ahead of her study abroad this fall and work from Paris.

“It’s a remote, unpaid internship,” she said. “You’re putting time and effort into it with the knowledge that what you’re getting out of it is something that you’ll take for your future, like skills, connections and experience.”

Dhaduvai has social media experience at the University of Missouri as well. She works for the marketing team at Campus Activities Programming Board, a department for student involvement.

She’s also heavily involved with The Maneater. She explored videography and editing during her sophomore year.

“When I first stepped into the J-School as a freshman, I really had no idea how much experience I would get and how much I would learn in my classes and outside of my classes,” she said.

Caspar Dowdy

Caspar Dowdy, a rising senior from Edwardsville, Illinois, was interning at Investigate Midwest this summer through the Scripps Howard rural newsroom fund.

Most of their internship focused on a long-term piece revolving around the American cotton industry, but they also did short-term projects throughout the summer.

“I’ve always been really interested in agriculture,” Dowdy said. “It’s what I came to college hoping to cover. From the beginning, I’ve known I wanted to do agriculture and science journalism and the things that affect rural America.”

At the School of Journalism, Dowdy works at the Agriculture and Water Desk, where Professor Sara Shipley Hiles connected them with Investigate Midwest.

“The people I’ve been able to connect with through the job are great people, and I think they’ll be really helpful to be connected with throughout my career,” they said.

Dowdy noted the change of pace from working at KBIA-FM, the School of Journalism’s NPR-member station, to working on a long-term, written project.

“The time scales are so different than what I’m used to,” Dowdy said. “My goal from the beginning has been to work in radio. If anything, that’s my career aspiration, to work in public radio. I have those timelines tattooed into my brain at this point. Having to sit with the same story and watch it develop over months has been pretty eye opening for me.

Returning to the School of Journalism for their final year this fall, Dowdy is bringing back confidence in their reporting from Investigate Midwest. They said their favorite part about the School of Journalism is the people.

“My fellow students and my instructors and the professional staff in the newsroom — they’re all so passionate about what they do. Everyone’s so invested in helping each other do great things and celebrating each other’s wins,” they said.

Lorelei Skurzewski

Lorelei Skurzewski is a rising junior from Chicago who worked for Missouri Partners in Prevention as a Graphic Design Intern.

The organization works with college campuses across Missouri to educate about topics like substance abuse, domestic violence and impaired driving. Skurzewski’s main task was to redesign their brochures.

“I’ve always been someone that loves to design things,” Skurzewski said.

The internship was remote, and Skurzewski appreciated the flexibility of the job. She picked up a lot of deadline and organization skills as well as an ability to approach sensitive topics from the role. She also recognized that the team she joined is all female.

“It’s really cool to get to work with all females in that environment,” she said.

Skurzewski previously worked with Her Campus, a student organization at the University of Missouri, and took the School of Journalism’s Fundamentals of Design course to strengthen her graphic design skills.

This fall, she is returning to the School as an art director for Vox Magazine, Missouri News Network’s cross-platform city magazine.

Skurzewski recognized the School of Journalism as a place to explore different areas of the industry.

“The J-School has definitely given me a lot of great opportunities, especially with networking and exploring my major, which I think is really nice because coming into journalism, I didn’t know how many different parts of journalism there were,” she said.

Updated: August 27, 2026