Ball State Daily News EIC receives HSPA, Pulliam scholarship

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Deadline to request a summer intern is Dec. 20.

Brooke Kemp, a senior at Ball State University, was selected to receive a $1,000 scholarship through the Eugene S. Pulliam internship program and the HSPA Foundation.

Kemp, editor-in-chief at the Ball State Daily News, was one of nine college students working at Indiana newspapers last summer through the Pulliam program. Her internship was at The Herald Bulletin in Anderson.

All Pulliam interns are eligible for the scholarship which is awarded based on a number of factors including the students’ original applications and the body of work they produce during the summer.

“Brooke Kemp exemplifies what any editor wants in her newsroom. She’s hungry, determined, curious and committed,” said Juli Metzger, the 2019 mentor for the internship program.


“Brooke’s internship at The Herald Bulletin, during which she tackled some controversial topics and complex issues, illustrates the value to both the newsroom and the intern of the HSPA program.”

— Scott Underwood, editor, The Herald Bulletin (Anderson)

“Brooke could not stop talking about the positive experience she had at The Herald Bulletin over the summer and it showed in her range of stories that she produced over the 10-week internship,” said Metzger, an associate lecturer in BSU’s Department of Journalism.

“Brooke’s enthusiasm for newspaper journalism and her preparedness to function at a high level in a professional newsroom speak volumes about her work ethic and the quality of the education she’s receiving at Ball State,” said Scott Underwood, editor of The Herald Bulletin.

Kemp, a Muncie native, said she was shocked when she learned about the scholarship.
“I knew that all of us were very capable and qualified,” Kemp said.

“I was just focused on doing my best every day and getting the most out of it to prepare me for my career,” she said.
Kemp credits her editors at The Herald Bulletin with giving her the opportunity to cover a wide range of stories and learn different skills.

“I’ve always had an attitude to take whatever they give me,” Kemp said. “I got to do a whole breadth of things that were just brand new to me.”

On top of the experience, the scholarship was a real honor, she said.


Each year, newspapers across Indiana request paid college interns to work in their newsrooms during the summer. Nine students and newspapers are matched up. To request an intern, visit https://www.hspa.com/2020-newspaper-pulliam-intern-request/ Deadline is Dec. 20.


“It’s always a great experience to host an HSPA intern,” Underwood said. “Brooke’s internship at The Herald Bulletin, during which she tackled some controversial topics and complex issues, illustrates the value to both the newsroom and the intern of the HSPA program,” he said.

The internship taught Kemp lessons about reporting but also about managing a newsroom. She said she wants to show her staff at the Daily News the same patience and confidence her Herald Bulletin editors showed her during her internship.

That hands-on, practical experience is the goal of the program.

“The Eugene S. Pulliam Internship Program is one of my favorites of the HSPA Foundation. Students get real-life journalism experiences and clips to help them find jobs after graduation while newspapers get a shot of enthusiasm from young, hungry journalists,” said Steve Key, executive director and general counsel for the Hoosier State Press Association.

Along with classes and her job as editor of the Daily News, Kemp continues to freelance with The Herald Bulletin. With graduation approaching next spring, she’s looking at jobs and internships and is also considering pursuing a graduate degree. Ultimately, she is looking forward to a career in local journalism.

“She was a clear standout in the 2019 Pulliam Internship program. Any news organization will be lucky to get her when she graduates in May 2019,” Metzger said.