Colby-Sawyer College student gains hands-on news reporting experience at WJLA-TV ABC7 News Channel 8

"It was truly and honor and a blessing to be able to work as a Sports/News intern for WJLA-TV ABC7 News Channel 8. I was able to see first-hand how a top 10 news market in the nation runs its business. I would sit in on meetings we’d have in the mornings comprised of our reporters, producers, and team managers as we would discuss popular topics in the district, who would cover them, and then what time they would air on our news station. After the meeting, I would be assigned to a reporter and then I would shadow them the entire day as we would go out and cover whatever story was assigned to us.

It was an amazing experience because I was able to travel across the DMV interviewing different coaches, athletes and clients from the high school level to the professional level. I was able to see first-hand how these reporters go about their business on a day to day basis, how they gather their resources, how they talk to people, how they shoot, write, and edit their stories. Thanks to the reporters and producers I was even able to put together multiple demo reels of stand ups and newscasts involving news and sports stories. As someone who is aspiring to be a television news reporter, this was the most hands-on experience an intern like me could’ve had.

Washington D.C. is an amazing city because it is a melting pot full of all different types of people and cultures. There are a ton of great restaurants to eat at, and there are so many things to see, from the national mall, to the museums, to all the different sporting events. D.C. has a professional soccer, hockey, football, basketball and baseball team and the stadiums are always filled with people. The night life culture in D.C. is pretty awesome as well.

The classes were pretty fun and also very informative. My seminar class was very helpful to me because I was able to learn how to navigate in the business world as a young man. My professor taught me many things like creating a business card, how to write a cover letter, how to build a strong resume, how to network, and how to handle different situations that might happen in the workplace. My Introduction to American Politics class was also a very helpful class because it gave me insight into many issues that are going on in our political world right now. With the election coming up this fall I couldn’t have asked for a better time to pick up on politics.

Overall, these past three months have been the greatest experience of my life and I thank the Washington Internship Institute for allowing me to be a part of something so special."

-Richard Damas, Colby-Sawyer College, WJLA-TV ABC7 News Channel 8, Spring 2016 Intern.