Journalism Senior Nic Antaya spent six months working at The Herald, located in Jasper, Indiana.
Antaya reached out to Michigan State University alumnus Dave Weatherwax, who is one The Herald’s former visual editors. His intentions were to learn about the industry and career pathways from Weatherwax. Eventually, Antaya was offered a photojournalism internship at The Herald.
Antaya said he was drawn to The Herald because of the emphasis they put on visuals. For the past 40 years, The Herald has published the Saturday Feature, a weekly picture story.
He was thrilled when he had the opportunity to work on seven of The Herald’s Saturday Features that are published on their website and appear in print each Saturday. The one thing that surprised Antaya the most was how dedicated The Herald was to community journalism. It took Antaya just one day to start running into people that he took photos of.
Through his internship, he has made connections with people throughout the community and has learned how valuable his work can be for viewers. Antaya explained that one of the best parts of his internship was that it was a six-month long program instead of a more conventional three-month program. The extra time in Jasper allowed Antaya to get to know the community and his neighbors.
“I recommend journalism students get experience outside of the classroom," Antaya said. "Working for a student publication is a great opportunity for growth and allows you to transition easier to an internship.”