This summer I spent my 10-week Kentucky Press Association internship working with The Winchester Sun learning the ins and outs of daily deadlines, community functions and finding stories.

Before my internship with The Sun, I had never worked on in-depth magazine projects or under the stress of having daily assignments, usually multiple and some with hard deadlines.

During my internship, I was responsible for two weekly features.

One of those features, The Heart of Clark, tasked me with writing a closer look at what it means to be a community. I had an opportunity to write on topics such as a needle exchange program working to combat the opioid epidemic, a homeless shelter working to rehabilitate chronic homelessness, local artists, restaurants and more.

My internship also helped me build my writing and photography skills and taught me to look for stories wherever I am.

I’ve come to love heading out of the office to find something for the following day’s paper, exploring the community to find spot news stories or capture art of people living their day-to-day lives.

The Sun showed me the demands of a typical job in journalism, creating confidence in my chosen career path.

I can’t imagine working in any other industry.

This internship renewed my excitement as a young journalist.

I look forward to many more experiences as I work with people in and around my area while also learning how to immerse myself more and more with the people and culture around me.   

At the end of my internship, I plan to freelance for the newspaper as well as its magazine while finishing my degree at Morehead State University.

Nacogdoches Miller is The Sun’s 2019 Kentucky Press Association summer intern. He spent 11 weeks with The Sun staff, which concluded Friday.