The following announcement was sent on behalf of Assistant Managing Editor for Culture and Talent Angel Jennings and Deputy Editor for Culture and Talent Anh Do:
Summer sparkles with possibility, and in this season, we’re inspired by the arrival of new energy and new faces.
We’re training an emerging generation of journalists who will tackle stories of all stripes, documenting the beauty, drama and trauma making Southern California a major player on front pages around the globe. Across news departments, they will engage audiences, analyze data, edit, design, photograph, report and record unforgettable voices and scenes that bring every day events to colorful life.
Our talent pool is vast — and the group will work alongside Times staff who are among the best in the business.
Our interns were selected from nearly 1,000 applications and through partnerships with Cal State Los Angeles, the Dow Jones News Fund, the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting, the NAACP, the Rebele Fund, the American Assn. for the Advancement of Science and the Asian American Journalists Assn.
The first cohort starts today. Please join us in welcoming the class of 2026:
Jazmin Alvarado is a bilingual journalist from Fresno, Calif., and a recent Fresno State graduate with a degree in broadcast journalism and a minor in Spanish. A passionate storyteller driven by the adrenaline of breaking news, Alvarado has honed her skills in writing, photography and editing. During her college career, she served as the editor in chief of her student newspaper, The Collegian, and interned at three local newsrooms, most recently ABC30 Action News. As a first-generation Mexican American with roots in Jalisco, Mexico, she is thrilled to join The Times’ Fast Break desk starting today, as she pursues a career in television and print journalism. Outside the newsroom, she enjoys reading, soft-serve ice cream and spending time with her family. Connect with her on X: @jazminalvaradotv.
Mack Baysinger is a geoscientist and science writer who most recently worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Aarhus University in Denmark. There, she explored how restoration efforts are shaping the carbon and nutrient cycles within the country’s wetland soils. Alongside her research, Baysinger currently serves as co-chief editor of the European Geosciences Union’s Cryospheric Sciences Blog and has previously written for the science news magazine Eos. When she isn’t in the lab or writing, she’s in the rock gym or working on her poetry projects. On June 8, she’ll join the Environment, Health and Science desk as a American Assn. for the Advancement of Science fellow, supported by the American Geophysical Union.
Seamus Bozeman was born and raised in Los Angeles and is heading into his final year as a journalism major at Cal State Los Angeles. He is an avid reporter who focuses his coverage on labor issues and investigative journalism. He has served as a news editor for the campus newspaper, the University Times, as well as a news editor for the Pasadena City College publication, the Courier. Over the past two summers, he honed his reporting skills through internships at LAist and EdSource. When he isn’t chasing a story, Bozeman is usually outdoors rock climbing, cycling, and hiking, or curled up with a good book. He is excited to join the dynamic Fast Break team at The Times today.
Shi Bradley, born in Southern California and raised in Phoenix, is a multimedia storyteller who thrives on tackling complex stories, particularly through a lens of changing culture and communities. Bradley recently graduated from Arizona State University’s Cronkite School with a master’s in mass communication and a digital audiences certificate, following a 2025 bachelor’s degree in journalism and business. She served as executive editor of ASU’s Downtown Devil for over three years while also contributing to PBS NewsHour West, The State Press, and Blaze Radio. Beyond campus, Shi was an audience engagement intern at the Arizona Republic and has written for the Phoenix New Times, Stocktonia, Times of San Diego, and Yahoo! Finance. Outside work, she enjoys dancing, trying new restaurants, and staying active with gym workouts and yoga. She is extremely enthusiastic about joining the audience engagement team June 22.
Arwen Clemans is an Oregon native and recent graduate of George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where she studied photojournalism. During her time in D.C., she worked as a staff photographer for the school’s athletics department and served as both a staff photographer and senior photo editor at the student newspaper, the GW Hatchet. Previously, she interned for the Alexandria Times and the Minnesota Star Tribune, continuing to work as a contract photo editor following the internship. Outside of work, she loves to go thrifting, watch movies and explore nature. She is excited to be back on the West Coast starting June 22 as The Times’ photojournalism intern. @arwenclemansphoto
Nicholas Corral is a rising senior at the University of Southern California, where he majors in journalism. This past spring, he served as the editor in chief of his campus newspaper, the Daily Trojan. He previously worked at USC Annenberg Media and as a reporting intern for the Merced Sun-Star. Corral, originally from the Bay Area, spends his free time baking, gardening and watching competitive reality TV. He will join the multiplatform editing desk beginning today.
Annika Duneja is a recent graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she majored in journalism and business and minored in French. On campus, she wrote for the Daily Tar Heel’s city and state desks. Over the summers, Duneja interned with CNBC’s 11 a.m. show “Money Movers” and with NBC Washington. She was a coxswain on the men’s rowing team at UNC, and other than yelling really loud, she loves to thrift, bike and try new restaurants. As a native of Washington, D.C., she doubts that the West Coast is actually the best coast, but she’s looking forward to giving it a chance when she joins the business desk on June 22.
Dante Estrada is a recent journalism graduate from Cal State Long Beach. While in college, he served as the multimedia managing editor at his campus newspaper, the Long Beach Current, for two years. He also worked as the digital executive editor for the campus broadcast publication, Beach TV News. Estrada interned at EdSource and focused on film criticism at MXDWN, online entertainment magazine. He is passionate about telling diverse stories, highlighting local personalities and communities through multimedia formats. In his free time, he loves going to the movies every week and listening to music. He starts with the features team today.
Madison Everlith is a rising senior at Pace University in New York City, majoring in women and gender studies, along with peace and justice studies. As a Jeannette K. Watson fellow, she has explored issues of equity and care through internships with organizations such as the Century Foundation, where she analyzed Black maternal health policies and produced a commentary with Next100 on making think tank internships more inclusive. She is currently a staff writer at 47Magazine, a Gen-Z-run publication based in NYC, where she’s written stories ranging from hair and gender expression to nostalgic 2000s trends. She is looking forward to joining Image, the fashion, style and art magazine at The Times, beginning June 22.
Willie Gillespie is from Libertyville, Ill., a northern suburb of Chicago. He will graduate next year from the University of Oklahoma, where he studies journalism and meteorology. His campus involvement started as a photographer at the student media outlet, the OU Daily. He contributed to the recent success of the video desk, evolving how the Daily tells stories visually and increasing audience engagement. Next year, Gillespie will serve as the editor in chief of the OU Daily. He interned at KSWO-TV in Lawton, Okla., where he worked as an on-air weekend meteorologist. He’s excited to join The Times today as a video intern.
Liana Handler is a recent graduate of the University of Florida, where she studied journalism with a minor in Spanish. While at UF, she pursued sports stories in north central Florida with bylines in the Independent Florida Alligator, the Tampa Bay Times, the Orlando Sentinel and WUFT News. Last summer, she worked as the Baltimore Banner’s general assignment sports intern as a member of the Sports Journalism Institute’s 2025 class. When she’s not writing, she enjoys playing dominoes, sewing and spending time at the beach. Her favorite stories focus on the intersection of sports, culture and community. She’s excited to continue that coverage with The Times as a sports intern.
Ava Hu is a graduate student at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, where she studies data and business reporting. As a bilingual multimedia journalist, she covers immigration, higher education and Asian American communities. Her work has appeared in the Guardian, Houston Chronicle and Initium Media. She is a recipient of the SPJ Annual Excellence in Journalism Awards and a fellow with the Asian American Journalists Assn. Hu is most interested in building data-driven stories that make complex systems feel human. She is excited to join the data and graphics desk June 22, along with her 12-pound (slightly overweight) 7-year-old cat, who is equally invested in the move to Los Angeles.
Megan Lam is a rising senior at UC Berkeley, where they study integrative biology, rhetoric and journalism. Originally from the Bay Area, their passion for copy editing came from the M-A Chronicle, their high school newspaper. They have copy edited at The Daily Californian since their freshman spring, most recently serving two semesters as head editor of the copy desk. Last summer, they interned with EdSource’s California Student Journalism Corps. Lam will join The Times on June 8 as a multiplatform editing intern through the Dow Jones News Fund. When they’re not editing, they can be found cafe-hopping, exploring bookstores and buried deep in photo albums and journals.
Kori McNair is an Atlanta native and an honors journalism major and international affairs minor at Howard University. At Howard, you can catch her reporting for the investigative section of the student newspaper, the Hilltop. When she’s not writing, she loves to immerse herself in another form of art — music. In her free time, she is usually playing a classical piece on her violin. Her appreciation for storytelling and love for music have guided her passion to pursue investigative journalism. No stranger to the heat thanks to her hometown, she is thrilled to join The Times on June 8 as an investigative intern on the Metro desk.
Sonia McSwain, originally from San Luis Obispo, is a senior at the University of California, San Diego, where she studies English literature with a minor in communication. She currently serves as creative and projects editor at the Guardian, UCSD’s independent student-run newspaper, where she leads cross-section collaboration and develops innovative approaches to storytelling. McSwain is passionate about reimagining how journalism is presented, with a focus on the intersection of narrative and visual culture. In her free time, she can often be found in a pottery studio making plates and bowls, watching Formula One, or talking endlessly about the movie “La La Land.” She is thrilled to join The Times on June 22 as an intern with the newsroom innovation and planning team.
Francesca Pinney is a rising senior at Stanford University, where she studies history. On campus, she writes for the Stanford Daily newspaper, where she has served as news managing editor, local news editor and staff development director. Pinney also contributes to Stanford’s radio station. Her passion for storytelling extends beyond the spheres of journalism and history. She spends treasured days teaching and practicing ballet, tap dancing and jazz dance, along with singing at the piano and writing. Pinney is from San Diego and she is beyond excited to spend the summer in Los Angeles, working as a Metro/California section intern, where she will cover breaking news, education and regional topics beginning June 22.
Nava Rawls is a multimedia journalist from Atlanta and a recent graduate of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. In the Bay Area, she worked as the food and wine intern at the San Francisco Chronicle and earned bylines for publications including SFGate and the Oaklandside. Before moving West, Rawls obtained her bachelor’s of arts degree in journalism from the University of Georgia, during which time she served as managing editor of her student newsroom, the Red & Black, and worked as an intern at CNN. When she’s not out reporting or taking photographs, you can find her at the movies, attending shows or checking out new restaurants with friends. She joins the food team June 22.
Eloise Rollins-Fife is an Angeleno and a graduate student at the UC Berkeley School of Journalism. Before moving to Berkeley, she received her bachelor’s degree from USC in cinema and media studies and worked an eclectic series of jobs across the entertainment, fashion, media and service industries. Her writing has been featured in Los Angeles Magazine, the Los Angeles Review of Books, Mercury News and other local and digital publications. A lifelong lover of the performing arts, she is thrilled to join The Times today as an arts and entertainment intern, where she can finally put her knowledge of obscure L.A. theater scenes to good use.
Tate Rudisill is a spring 2026 graduate of Michigan State University, where he studied creative advertising and graphic design for three years. He grew up in Dayton, Ohio, before moving to East Lansing, Mich., for college. Early on at MSU, Rudisill worked as a graphic designer for the Honors College, creating print and digital materials. His interest in journalistic design grew after he joined the university chapter of the Society for News Design and volunteered at SND’s creative competition in 2025. The following autumn, he began working as a designer at the campus publication, the State News, and later became the design desk editor. In his free time, Rudisill can often be found at the local movie theater. He’s thrilled to join the talented newsroom in L.A. today as a design intern.
Emily Tarinelli is excited to join the features desk at The Times beginning June 22. With a passion for human-interest storytelling and cultural reporting, she has reported on gender as it intersects with arts, pop culture, sports and politics. She will earn her master’s degree in data journalism from Stanford University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English from Mount Holyoke College in 2025. Her byline has appeared in LAist, the Pleasanton Weekly, Peninsula Press and the Bulletin magazine. Previously, she interned as a news anchor for Amherst Media in Massachusetts and worked in the communications field. When she’s not reporting, you might find her at a pool, coffee shop, library or movie theater. She grew up in southeastern Connecticut.
Lily Wright is a graduate of the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she studied journalism and foreign affairs. While at UNR, she traveled to Costa Rica to pursue a multimedia story on using leafcutter ants to create vaccines, and to Paris to report on the 2024 Summer Olympics. Her freelance work, covering all things Northern Nevada, can be found in local digital news outlets, including This Is Reno and Our Town Reno. When not writing, she’s likely reading or researching her next trip. Born in England and raised in Las Vegas, she will visit Los Angeles for the first time when she begins interning on the business desk today.
Melody Xu is a rising senior at Northwestern University, where she’s studying journalism and serving as managing editor of the Daily Northwestern. A Bay Area native, she previously interned at the San Francisco Chronicle as a Dow Jones News Fund fellow. She got her start in storytelling while working for her hometown paper, the Palo Alto Daily Post, at age 16. Xu is happiest when exploring new cities and eating good food — both of which she’s thrilled to do this summer as an intern on the food desk starting June 22.
