Chips Watch: Summer is over,
but the news continues

Special to chipsquinn.org

Posted: Sept. 8, 2003

Welcome, everyone, to the end-of-the-Summer edition of Chips Watch -- news about CQ Scholars.

Let’s get going!

Those Summer hits … Summer 2003 Chipster Christine Armario had a great time at the Poughkeepsie (N.Y.) Journal, and it got even better when Gannett News Service picked up her story about a Muslim woman who wrote a book about mosques. The story was distributed to all Gannett newspapers -- talk about spreading the good news!

Kaeleen McGuire and Nancy Kelsey, who spent their Summer at The Coloradoan in Fort Collins, were named the newspaper’s reporters of the month for July. The business editor nominated them for their fine work. Congrats, Chipsters!

Sophia Kazmi says she enjoyed her internship at the Contra Costa Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., so much that she has decided to stay at the newspaper for a few more months. The newspaper has extended her internship until the end of the year. Hatzel Vela has extended his internship as a general-assignment reporter at The Jackson (Tenn.) Sun through December. And Zach Mills has been extended at The Tennessean in Nashville for a month.

Onward … Anthony Reyes (Summer 2001) is now with the Log Cabin Democrat in Conway, Ark. He has “loved almost every single minute of it.” He was married in Fall 2002. Congrats!

Just checkin’ in …Martin Reynolds (Summer 1995) still is working as an assistant city editor at The Oakland (Calif.) Tribune but started writing again when homicides began increasing. He spearheaded a series that was nominated for awards. Says Reynolds, “It was great to stop worrying about what goes on A-1 and start writing for A-1. It made me realize how much I enjoy and miss the creative process of writing, meeting people and covering an important issue in the community. Now I remember why I got into this business!”

Graduated and motivated … Willie J. Allen Jr. (Spring 2002) was graduated from San Francisco State University. He spent the Summer working as a photo intern at The New York Times. And his story gets even better … He has been named an ASNE/APME Fellow by the Freedom Forum and is awaiting a newspaper assignment.

Westward … Javacia Harris (Summer 2002) reports that she is finishing up an Associated Press internship. Before the AP, she did internships with a few national magazines, including Health. This month, she moves to California for J-school at the University of California-Berkeley. Harris has a great quote tag to her e-mail: “Do one thing everyday that scares you.” -- Eleanor Roosevelt

Upward … Erica Pippins (Summer 1999) has done such a terrific job covering education at The Herald in Rock Hill, S.C., that she has been promoted -- to senior reporter covering York County. Pippins, an ASNE/APME Fellow, also will be doing some work on the city desk. Hmmm … next stop, managing editor?

Hired …Heather Shije, (Spring 2003) was a CQ intern at The News-Press in Fort Myers, Fla. The newspaper then extended her graphics internship, and now she has been hired full time. Welcome to Florida, home of many Chipsters!

Honored … Nancy Flores (Summer 2001) was graduated from St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas, and has returned from St. Petersburg, Fla., where she did a Summer fellowship with The Poynter Institute. That’s not all. She has been selected as a Hearst Journalism Fellow. That’s a two-year rotating fellowship, spending eight months at three newspapers across the country. Flores will follow in the footsteps of Joshua Trujillo (Summer 2001), who just completed the Hearst jaunt. Congrats both of you!

Updates …Jessica Marshall (Summer 2000) is now at the Johnson County (Kan.) Sun … Diana Gonzales (Summer 2001) has graduated and is working full time at the Greeley (Colo.) Tribune. … Angelique Soenarie (Summer 2001) was graduated in May and is doing an internship at the Chicago Tribune. … Kevin Abourezk (Summer 1999), a regional reporter at the Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star, has taken over coverage of Native issues for the Journal Star and other Lee Enterprises newspapers. Abourezk is filling in for Jodi Rave Lee, who was named a Neiman Fellow at Harvard University.

Movin’ on, movin’ in … After two years, Joaquin Siopack (Spring 2001) is leaving the St. Cloud (Minn.) Times and moving to The Sun News in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Got any guest rooms?

Getting hired …Chris Viola (Spring 2003) has taken a job as a photographer with the Georgia Times-Union, a product of The Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville. He joins Chipster Yuli Wu (Summer 2000) at the newspaper.

And … Ricardo Sanchez (Spring 2003) has landed a job at The Orange County Register in Santa Ana, Calif. Sanchez says, “I'll be reporting for the weekly newspapers, mostly community stuff, but I get to do sports as well. I figure I can work my up from there.” He joins Cindy Carcamo (Summer 1999) who recently joined The Register as a cops reporter. Well done!

Convention news … The August National Association of Black Journalists convention was old-home week for alums, including these Chipsters who worked on the convention newspaper: photographer Erika Alexander (Summer 2003); photographer Heather Charles (Summer 2001) and reporter Levi Long (Summer 2002).

Found … Rabiah Abdullah (Summer 1993) has surfaced after being missing from the Chips database. This Chipster is now a Ph.D. student in English at Howard University. She received a master's degree in education at Johns Hopkins University and later became certified in special education to teach autistic children. She has just learned that she will get a full scholarship and teaching assistantship at Howard. She is married with three children.

Noteworthy … Charles Anthony (Fall 1999 and Spring 2000), who lives in New Orleans, reports that he is senior editor of Xplosive Magazine, an R&B and Hip-Hop publication published in Pittsburg, Calif.

Author, author… Nealy Gihan (Summer 2000) is at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln pursuing a master’s degree in broadcasting. She reports that she has completed her first screenplay. A dramatic reading of it took place last month in Chicago.

Action … Morenike Efuntade (Summer 1992) does freelance producing while developing her own films. She says, “Still, my background in journalism and specifically the wonderful experiences I had through the Chips Quinn program were invaluable and unforgettable.”

And, Michelle Pinkard (Summer and Fall 1999) announces that her book of poetry, The Eye of the Tornado; Fifty Poems for Rhyme and Reason, soon will be on bookshelves. She is leaving her award-winning post as military-affairs reporter for The Times in Shreveport, La., to pursue a graduate degree in creative writing at Morgan State University in Baltimore. Keep us posted!

Wedding news … Karen Johnson (Spring 2003) was married in July and received her degrees in journalism and Spanish international trade the Monday after she returned from her honeymoon. Johnson, who will move to Massachusetts to look for a job, now goes by Karen Chynoweth. Julie Acosta (Summer 2002) spent a year studying in Florence, Italy, and fell in love. She is now engaged and living in Pisa. Her husband-to-be is stationed in the military there. Best wishes!

New byline … At 4:44 p.m. July 18, Jesus Lopez (Summer 2000) became the proud papa of Aiden Cruxificio Lopez. Says dad, who works at the Standard-Examiner in Ogden, Utah: “He has dark brown eyes, thick black hair and the caveman brow. I wonder where he gets that from. My mother came to town to lend a hand and go crazy about the baby.” Send us pictures! And welcome to the Chipster family, Aiden.

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

Back to top