The Durango Herald welcomes three reporting interns this summer who are furthering their education in journalism while expanding local news coverage for our readers.
Two of our summer interns are based in the Herald’s Durango newsroom, and the third is based in Washington, D.C., localizing congressional news for Southwest Colorado.
“Student journalists can bring fresh perspectives to reporting, and we enjoy giving them opportunities to practice their craft,” said Richard G. Ballantine, chairman of the Herald’s board of directors.
Leah Veress is a sophomore at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, majoring in English with a concentration in journalism. She grew up around national parks, and, as a result, has spent a significant amount of time hiking, camping and road tripping. She writes for her independent student-run newspaper, The Sophian.
Georgia Landeryou is a junior at the University of Arizona in Tucson, majoring in broadcast journalism with a minor in public relations. She is a Durango native and graduated from Durango High School in 2021. She enjoys reporting and writing human-interest stories. She said she loves hiking, biking, skiing and doing all things Durango.
“I never thought I would be writing for my hometown newspaper,” she said. “I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to weave tales and unfold news about the place I hold closest to my heart.”
Mina Allen is a senior at American University in Washington, D.C., majoring in journalism and legal affairs. She grew up in Japan but has family ties to Chico, California. With family in fairly rural areas, she has taken it upon herself to help family members understand how news in Washington affects them. She used to write for her campus paper, The Eagle.
Allen is part of the Herald’s long-standing internship program with American University School of Communication. The Herald has sponsored the internship for 13 years, during which time almost 40 journalism students have participated in the program. The Herald flies students 1,900 miles from Washington to Durango to see the town and then works with them for a semester at a time as they cover our congressional delegation from Washington.
