Chips Watch: The summer that keeps on going and going

Special for chipsquinn.org

Posted: Aug. 22, 2002

Endless Summer indeed. It was a long, hot, productive Summer for members of the Class of '02, now winding down and making their way back to wherever Chipsters go. But for a bunch of 'em, Summer just keeps on going:

Oh-Two-er Karyn Hsiao was hired by The Salt Lake Tribune in Utah at the conclusion of her internship there.

And Lourdes Briz was hired full time by FLORIDA TODAY in Melbourne. (She joins recently hired 2001 Scholar Valeria Pearcey. (More on the Florida connection below.)

Onward:

Karla Gachet's internship at The Tennessean in Nashville has been extended through February 2003. And Tyisha Manigo stays on through December at the Press & Sun-Bulletin in Binghamton, N.Y.

That's not all … Alisa Beckwith's internship has been extended at The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News and Gabrielle Maple at The News-Star in Monroe, La. Charlene Callier will be staying an extended four to six weeks at The Tennessean in Nashville. Sandra Martinez has had her internship at The Santa Fe New Mexican extended through December! Michelle Lee will stay on at the Poughkeepsie (N.Y.) Journal through December -- "this time, instead of being a general-assignment reporter, I'll be getting a beat with a small town to cover."

Congratulations to these well-deserving -- and ALL -- Summer '02ers.

Onward:

The Lucky 13s (aka, the AZ Chipsters) Well, there was a dinner recently in Arizona that most of us weren't invited to, but here's who was: Kristen Go (1996 and 1997 Scholar) and the other 12 (for a total of 13!) Chipsters at The Arizona Republic in Phoenix.

"The temperature may be in the triple digits in the Valley of the Sun, but that doesn't mean Chipsters in Arizona aren't up for an outing," Kristen wrote. The crew at the Republic welcomed Summer 2002 interns Ofelia Madrid, Amy Boerema and 2001 Scholar Katie Nelson.

"Veterans of the heat Jose Garcia, Mitchell Vantrease, Sadie Jo Smokey, Stephanie Miller, Christina Lucarotti and me, Kristen Go, were part of the welcoming committee." While the Arizona Chipster dinner may seem like quite a gathering, we were still missing four (Belinda Long, Claudia Provencio, Theoden Janes, Yvonne Wingett) Chipsters. Yep -- that's 13 ... and counting.

Dance, dance … Zerline Hughes Jennings (Summer 1998 Scholar) just found out that Dance Magazine published a piece of hers in its 75th anniversary issue. Hubby Mark Jennings (Summer 2000) has completed his first year at Harvard Divinity -- two more to go -- and served as editor for the school's newsletter. Way to go, guys.

Long time … Jason Hidalgo (1995 Scholar), health reporter at the Reno (Nev.) Gazette-Journal, has been selected for a CQ Fellowship to attend the National Writer's Workshop at the Neiman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University in November. No wonder. Jason has started a monthly Sunday column at the paper, "A Guy's Life." Says our guy: "This is what happens when you submit a bunch of silly story ideas just for fun (like guys' sensitivity about their bellies and how to make the most of being dragged into a chick flick) at the monthly staff meeting." Read a Guy's Life. (http://www.rgj.com/news/stories/html/2002/06/28/17944.php)

Passages … Brent Champaco (Spring 2000 Scholar) has a new lease on life -- a wife! The Champ says: "I officially said 'I do' on June 1 to my girlfriend of two years," Tisha Calvo, now Tisha Calvo-Champaco. Brent and Tisha met during Brent's Chipster internship at the Marin Independent Journal in Novato, Calif. They exchanged vows on the Washington State University campus, his alma matter, her school, "at a lookout point with awe-inspiring views of the Palouse region's lush, rolling hills." Brent, by the way, has been at The Moscow-Pullman Daily News in Idaho for almost a year. Happy life, guys. Heartiest congrats, Brent and Tisha.

New jobs, new vistas … Adriana Chavez (Summer '00) has been named East Side neighborhoods reporter for the El Paso (Texas) Times. She covers one of El Paso's fastest-growing neighborhoods and also covers city desk general assignments during the weekend! Congrats again.

But that's not all. The afore-mentioned Yvonne Wingett has been hired full time at The Arizona Republic. And promoted to city hall communities beat. To quote Yvonne: "Whoo hoo!"

Jamie Ayala (Summer 2001 Scholar) was graduated from Cal State Fullerton this year and happily has accepted a position as a community reporter for The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, Calif. JA says: "I work out of the Temecula, Calif., bureau. Being a Chips Quinn Scholar has made all the difference!"

An NAHJ hello … 2002 Scholar Ashley Surdin checks in from the NAHJ convention to report: "Fellow Chipster Eddy Ramirez (Summer 2001 Scholar) and I worked on the NAHJ student newspaper, The Latino Reporter. Together we covered the biggest story during the convention, the front page, high stress, deadline demanding conversation with Vicente Fox in Tijuana, Mexico." Well done, all.

Also at NAHJ … Rosa Ramirez (Summer 2001 Scholar), a student at George Washington University and intern at Hispanic Link News Service, was voted the organization's at-large student representative. Well done, again.

Hey, Teach! … Mitchell Shears (Summer 1999 Scholar) has successfully completed his first year of teaching. "Plus, I am in the grant-writing business. I just received a $400 grant (may not seem much, but enough) to begin a project at my school called SPRITE. (Students Practicing Reading Interventions through Teaching Elements). This is a program that I made up for fifth-graders to visit the kindergarten classes to help them learn how to read." The world needs more Mitches.

There's always a Florida Connection … Chris Umpierre (Fall 2001 and Spring 2002 Scholar) has added to the growing Chipster Florida population by getting hired full time as a sports reporter at The News-Press in Fort Myers, Fla. "I had another great internship. For the past month or so, I've been covering news (they needed help in our Cape Coral bureau). In two weeks, I'll go back to sports."

Also at the beach (and The News-Press): Ryan Hiraki (Summer 2001 and Spring 2002 Scholar), who is hard at work on a story about Southwest Florida, "just because I love this place so much -- it's the coolest place I've lived, by far."

Onward:

Gabriela C. Guzman (Summer 2001 and Fall 2001 Scholar) has been working for the Las Cruces (N.M.) Sun-News. Apparently, the place is bubbling over with news. She's covering a school district and a growing city along the border. "It is my dream job after my Chipster internships," Gabby says. "I love my job. And my editor used to be the managing editor at The Providence Journal, so I am in good hands. I think I found the mentor/editor that I needed." Those are wise words!

Jus' checkin' in ...Jenn Javier (Spring 2001 Scholar) has been a full-time sports reporter at The News Journal in Wilmington, Del., since Spring. She writes just to say hey! Jenn says: "Life is a lot quieter now that an A-1 project I worked on with another reporter is all over with. It ran on June 23 and was about the 30th anniversary of Title IX....that project occupied about two months of my life. Whew. I'm very glad that's over with ... I'm chillin' out until August, when the X Games arrive in Philly and I'll have to help out on that, and the Fall will be chock full of football..." A sports gal's work is never done!

Also checkin' ...Curtis Esquibel (Summer 1999 Scholar), neither lost nor forgotten, just ... away for a while. Curtis writes in from New Mexico, where he's been teaching on an Indian reservation: "It's been like fo'evah so I wanted to drop in and tell you 'hello.' I've been in New Mexico now for more months now and I'm so, so happy that I made the choice to come here. My job has given me tremendous perspective and a chance to do the kind of writing project I've always dreamed of. I'm beginning a manuscript where I plan to chronicle the college careers of two Native American students I've worked with who will be attending UC Berkeley and Dartmouth this Fall. I plan to write about everything from their transition from the rez to the Bay Area and Ivy League ..." So good to hear your voice.

Short (but important!) takes:

• Sheba R. Wheeler (1995 Scholar) received the University of Iowa's Distinguished Young Alumni Award. She is one of the youngest recipients ever. The award is granted to University of Iowa graduates or former students, age 40 or younger, for significant accomplishments in business or professional life or for service to the university and/or the Alumni Association. Well done.

• Krysta Tabuchi (1996 Scholar) now is working at The Seattle Times as a copy editor. Great to hear from you.

• Jose Corona (Summer 2001 Scholar) has accepted a job as city hall and education reporter at the Huntington Beach Independent, a weekly owned by the Los Angeles Times. Jose also has been accepted into the Academy of Alternative Journalism Summer internship program, through the Medill School of Journalism. Wow! On both counts.

• Lisa Woods (Summer '01) has graduated from the University of North Texas (May 2002) and is a government reporter for The Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville.

We want to hear from you. Send your news to Program Assistant Michelle Hedenskoog.

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