University of Journalism Internship Program for African American Male High School Students

Program Overview

The and The Heinz Endowments have teamed up to offer African American high school males a 10-week, after-school journalism internship program on the Pitt campus from mid- September through November 2012. The Endowments formed the African American Men and Boys Task Force five years ago to improve educational, economic, social and leadership opportunities for African American males in the Pittsburgh area. The University of Pittsburgh joined the initiative last year to offer students ways they can communicate and tell their stories through writing, photography and videography.

Program Components

Students will have the opportunity to: • Shadow college students who work at the university’s student , The Pitt News • Observe journalism classes taught by experienced journalists • Attend an internship dinner and panel discussion • Visit the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for an entire day over Christmas break • Receive a $1,000 stipend after the successful completion of the internship • Practice journalism writing, photography and videography, depending on their interests

Program Requirements

• Participants must commit to coming to the Pitt campus in at least three hours once a week after school. • Participants will be required to submit a short paper reflecting on their experience at the end of the program. • Teachers, after-school instructors, parents and guardians will be expected to support and encourage participating students, especially in helping them understand that the communication skills they are learning will be valuable in both their school and work careers. • Instructors also will be expected to identify students for the program who have demonstrated potential in writing and other forms of communication, including those who might not be at the top of their class. • All students will be required to conduct themselves in a mature and responsible manner.

Admission Requirements

To apply to the program, a student must meet the following qualifications: • Currently enrolled as a sophomore or junior in high school • Live in Allegheny County • Have an interest in journalism. • Have the support of parents or guardians. • Be able to arrange transportation to the University of Pittsburgh. • Provide two letters of recommendation with the application: one from a teacher or school administrator and the other from an unrelated adult outside of school. • Submit two references (name and phone number) with the application. These should be individuals who are not relatives and can be those who provide the letters of recommendation.

The application for fall 2012 is due by Friday, June 15, and should be emailed or mailed to: Caren Marcus University of Pittsburgh Department of English 526 Pittsburgh, PA 15260 or [email protected]

Acceptances will be announced by Aug. 15.

If you have questions about the application process or the internship program, contact Caren Marcus at 412.624.1737 or [email protected]. She will respond to messages as quickly as possible.

University of Pittsburgh Journalism Internship Program for African American Male High School Students

Application

NAME:

DATE OF BIRTH:

MAILING ADDRESS:

EMAIL ADDRESSES:

HOME PHONE:

WIRELESS PHONE:

HIGH SCHOOL:

AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM (if that is how you learned about the internship):

NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION FOR HIGH SCHOOL OR AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM INDIVIDUAL WHO TOLD YOU ABOUT THE INTERNSHIP:

YEAR IN SCHOOL:

WRITING-RELATED CLASSES YOU HAVE TAKEN:

GRADE-POINT AVERAGE:

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS/GOALS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL:

WHAT ARE YOUR CAREER INTERESTS AND WHY:

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES:

CURRENT/PRIOR EMPLOYMENT:

WHY ARE YOU INTERESTED IN THIS INTERNSHIP? WHAT WOULD YOU HOPE TO GET OUT OF IT? WHAT SKILLS AND PERSPECTIVE WOULD YOU BRING TO THE INTERNSHIP?

PLEASE ATTACH A RECENT WRITING SAMPLE (not longer than three pages)

PLEASE ATTACH TWO LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION (One must be a teacher or administrator at your school; the other must be an unrelated adult outside of school.)

PLEASE LIST BELOW TWO REFERENCES AND THEIR PHONE NUMBERS (These should be individuals who are not relatives and can be those who provide the letters of recommendation.)

PARENTS OR GUARDIANS NAMES:

ADDRESS:

HOME PHONE:

CELL PHONE:

EMAIL:

EMERGENCY CONTACT NAME(S) AND PHONE:

SIGNATURES I CERTIFY THAT I FULLY UNDERSTAND THE ABOVE QUESTIONS AND THAT THE INFORMATION GIVEN IN THIS APPLICATION IS TRUE AND CORRECT.

Signature of Applicant:

Signature of Parent/Guardian: