Dorothy Bland, a professor in the Mayborn School of Journalism at the University of North Texas, used her former reporting experience in developing a program for high schoolers with support from the Scripps Howard Foundation Emerging Journalists Program. A minority-serving and Hispanic-serving institution, UNT was one of two programs selected by the Scripps Howard Foundation to launch program, which immerses students in a one-week journalism camp before sending them to internships in their local communities. Last summer students were placed in 13 different media outlets across Texas which were diverse in geographic location and type of institution. The 18 students involved produced more than 90 stories.
In discussing her work, Bland said “It's a lot of work but it's also a commitment. And I feel strongly about local news and growing the next generation of talent. And that's why we're doing it. It’s a labor of love. We don’t do it for the money. We do it because it’s important to invest in the next generation of talent.”
Looking to the future, Bland wants to continue to diversify this program with outreach to the Rio Grande Valley and area middle school levels.