By Dean’s Intern Trey Yingst at Washington Post

At the start of the academic year I never imagined working at arguably one of the most prestigious news organizations in the country. This semester I took a course called “How the News Media Shaped History” where we learned about the role that the Washington Post played during the Watergate scandal. Just a week later I was interviewing for an internship at the Post. The internship application originally called for a print journalism major to write articles at the Post, but American University was able to make a few phone calls and get me an interview with Post TV.

Upon accepting the internship, I was provided with a number of fantastic opportunities to expand on my video skills while working in a professional environment. One particular experience that stood out, was having the opportunity to film a short piece at Dulles airport as news broke that a screening area would be in place for people traveling from West Africa. I was able to go to the airport with my Post credentials and interview the Airport Authority spokesperson. Having the ability to add to the news cycle was very exciting, since my video was used in an article posted to Washingtonpost.com.

As my internship comes to an end this semester, I am satisfied with what I learned. The environment at the Post allowed me to learn through hands-on experiences. Much like in the School of Communications, I was encouraged to go out into the field and apply my knowledge of the craft to create meaningful pieces of journalism. As journalism shifts towards more of a multimedia platform, I am confident I will be able to use the things I learned at the Washington Post to continue my passion for story telling at American University and beyond.