Trust, support help ensure interns have a positive experience

Manny Lopez

Lori Demo, a Chips Quinn writing coach, likes to tell a story about my summer as a Scholar at The Tennessean in Nashville. It was 1994, and I was about halfway through the internship. I'd had a pretty good week and was rambling on about something. In passing I parroted one thing someone had said at orientation: "I can't believe they pay me to do this," I told her.

I don't remember what her response was then. But every time she tells the story now she laughs.

She and Writing Coach Dick Thien were my mentors that summer. They still are, only now I also consider them good friends.

I mentor because I want every Scholar I meet to have as good an experience with the program and in journalism as I had in 1994. The Chips Quinn Scholars classes are larger now than they were when I was a Scholar, and it's more important than ever that the alums reach back and help.

I mentor because a lot of people believed in me when I was going into a newsroom on my first internship. They spent a lot of time, energy and love working with me. They encouraged me, but they also pushed me.

No matter how strong or smart we think we are, we all can benefit from having someone we trust as a sounding board.

I've made good friends mentoring and getting to know other Scholars. I've learned a lot about myself, about the profession and about my Chips Quinn family.

Although I'm a long way from truly repaying John and Loie Quinn for the experience of being a Scholar, mentoring helps me pay them back.

Mentoring and getting to know younger Scholars keeps increasing the debt, but I'll gladly keep working to pay it off.

Manny Lopez was a 1994 Chips Quinn Scholar. Reach him at mlopez@bizjournals.com.

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