A Summer in the Newsroom
July 30, 2026
National Intern Day Spotlight
National Intern Day is dedicated to recognizing, celebrating, and thanking the hardworking interns who contribute to the workforce
Meet Kyla
For Kyla Moore, no two days this summer have looked the same.
A Mass Communication major concentrating in Broadcast Journalism with a minor in Screen Arts, Kyla is spending her summer at WDSU, the NBC affiliate in New Orleans, through the Emma Bowen Fellowship.
As a rising senior graduating in 2027, she applied to the fellowship looking for hands-on newsroom experience, and found herself immersed in nearly every aspect of local news.
A Day in the Life
If you ask Kyla what a typical day at WDSU looks like, she'll tell you there really isn't one.
Throughout the summer, she's rotated through different newsroom roles, spending each week learning from a new team. She's shadowed dayside, morning, and evening reporters, worked alongside digital and news producers, spent time at the assignment desk, learned from anchors, and even observed the station's investigative team.
Some weeks begin at 9:30 a.m. Others start long before sunrise at 3:30 a.m.
"Every week I do something different," Kyla said. "Some days I'm out with a reporter and other days I'm back at the station with the web or news producers."
The variety has given her a behind-the-scenes look at how an entire newsroom comes together each day to tell stories that matter.
Building Confidence
While Kyla has learned technical skills throughout the summer, the biggest lesson has been believing in herself.
Early in the internship, recording a stand-up (the on-camera portion where reporters deliver information from the field) felt intimidating. She would freeze, forget what she planned to say, and find herself starting over again and again.
Then one of the reporters she worked with, Duke, offered advice that changed her perspective. "Stop trying to recall what you memorized and just say what you know."
After spending the entire day reporting on a story, she realized she already knew what she wanted to say. The next time she stepped in front of the camera, she delivered her stand-up in a single take.
"I've learned how to have confidence when I speak," Kyla said. "The great thing about public speaking is that nobody knows what you'll say next. Everyone makes mistakes, but a good reporter knows how to recover."
A Proud Moment
One project Kyla has especially enjoyed has been creating vertical videos for WDSU's social media platforms.
Watching her work reach a real audience has been one of the highlights of the summer, with one of her videos earning nearly 500,000 views.
For Kyla, it was exciting to see classroom skills come to life in a professional newsroom and to know that her work was making an impact beyond an assignment.
The Best Part of the Day
Despite every day looking different, one part of the routine never changes.
"The morning meeting," Kyla said without hesitation.
Each day begins with reporters, producers, anchors, news directors, and the assignment desk gathering to pitch stories and receive assignments. Before everyone heads out, the assignment manager closes the meeting with a motivational quote to set the tone for the day.
It's a simple tradition, but one that's become Kyla's favorite part of working at WDSU.
.
Advice for Future Interns
Kyla shares, "Internships are where you turn what you learn in class into real skills. In school you learn about the job, but an internship lets you experience what it actually looks like in the real world."
She also has a message for students who might be nervous about applying.
The first time Kyla interviewed for this internship, she encountered a timed video interview, a format she had never experienced before. After stumbling through her first response, she panicked, closed her laptop, and quit the interview.
After talking with her boss, she decided to give herself another chance. She reached out to the company, requested a new interview, and tried again.
She got the internship. In fact, the hiring manager later told her that her interview stood out.
"You will always be your own worst critic," Kyla said. "Never give up and always strive for greatness."
When asked to describe her internship in three words, Kyla didn't hesitate:
Exciting. Rewarding. Impactful.
It's an experience that strengthened her confidence and confirmed the value of learning beyond the classroom.
About the LSU Career Center
Our team is committed to ensuring every student has ample opportunities to gain experience, grow their network, and communicate their aptitude for a chosen career long before graduation. We believe LSU students are unparalleled in their potential to step into leadership, solve problems, and elevate the workforce for the benefit of all.