Her original plan was to spend a few weeks in Ghana as part of a Marietta College-sponsored service trip and then return home for the summer.
However, the more Taylor Hanigosky ’16 (Youngstown, Ohio) looked at the opportunities that were available in Ghana, the more she realized there might be an internship possibility with one of two of that country’s national newspapers — Daily Guide and Daily Graphic. After convincing her parents — James and Jennifer— that spending the entire summer in Ghana was a good idea, she quickly jumped at the opportunity.
Just when it looked like her summer plans could not get any better, Hanigosky received more good news: she is the 2014 recipient of the Robert Evans Internship Endowment Award.
“It’s helped tremendously to take the stress off of my shoulders,” she says. “I have been trying to squeeze every penny I could to get there. Now, thanks to the award, I can focus on the internship and not the financial end of it.”
Now in its fifth year, this program awards $5,000 to one qualified rising junior or senior who participates in an approved internship at a for-profit organization, specifically a major national or global organization. The $5,000 can be used for relocation, travel, housing, meals, related equipment purchases and other living expenses. Qualified applicants must maintain a 3.0 grade point average and can have any undergraduate major.
Denise and Mike Salvino ’87 established the Evans Internship in the spring of 2010 through a gift to honor Evans and recognize his substantial contributions to Marietta College and the McDonough Leadership Program.
Hanigosky, who is an editor at The Marcolian, says she didn’t learn about receiving the Evans Internship Award until right before she left campus for spring break.
“It was a great way to start off spring break,” she says.
Dr. Joan Price, Chair of the Mass Media Department, says Hanigosky’s commitment to her studies and to developing her skills as a journalist outside of the classroom make her great choice for the honor.
“Taylor is a truly outstanding student and worthy recipient of the Robert Evans Internship Award. She is pursuing her journalism major with exceptional motivation, which shows in her classwork and co-curricular activities such as The Marcolian and Hunger Week,” Price says. “Her drive to find a media internship abroad, to extend her study trip to Ghana with her French professor Dr. (Ena) Vulor, is an example of the motivation she shows in everything she does. She will be a real asset to one of the national newspapers in Ghana, and the Evans Award will make it possible for her to gain remarkable experience toward her goal of working as an international journalist. I can’t imagine a better ambassador for the College.”
Hanigosky, who leaves for Ghana on May 14, will learn which newspaper she will be working for soon.
“At this point it’s about logistics,” she says. “I can’t wait to publish my own content under my own byline. I’m extremely excited and this is something I’ve always wanted to do. I’m very interested in international reporting.”
The fact she will be reporting on court cases in Africa is still a bit of a shock to Hanigosky.
“When I first found it, it seemed so far out of reach that I didn’t really give it a serious thought,” she says. “Now it’s crazy how it has become a reality … and it’s kind of terrifying.”
Getting a new perspective on reporting is something Hanigosky can’t wait to pick up during her six-week internship.
“All of the experience I have had is here at The Marcolianand in classes,” she says. “Being able to work in that professional setting, but also being so different than any traditional internship is exactly what I wanted. I hope to expand what I know and how I interact and communicate with people who are not culturally similar to me.”
It will be Hanigosky’s first internship, but not her first international experience — she has traveled to Germany.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine, but in my head I’m thinking, ‘Am I ready for this?’ ” Hanigosky says. “I’ve talked to Dr. Price a lot. My development as a journalist here has prepared me, and my ability to think on my feet is why I am confident I will succeed.”
TOM PERRY