From the Big Apple to the Windy City: four Hussman School students secure fully funded dream internships in Summer 2019 thanks to Lookout Fellows Program

Thanks to funding provided by the Burrows family in Fall 2017, The Lookout Fellows Program will again provide full funding to four outstanding students from the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media for Summer 2019 internships. The 2019 Lookout Fellows are Brandon Callender '20, Jeremiah Rhodes '20, Stella Shon '20 and Julia Slawek '20.

"This program means the world to me, because I wouldn't have the incredible opportunity of interning at a big agency without it," said Slawek. "I am truly blessed to be a Lookout Fellow and still cannot believe the amount of opportunities for career development it has given me. The Lookout Fellowship is the best thing that has happened to me at UNC."

Because of The Lookout Fellows Program, eight students have interned at their dream companies since 2017. The program eliminates financial challenges students have and enables them to apply for internships that are far away from home. 

"I greatly appreciate the opportunity being given to me through the Lookout Fellows program, because it'd be nearly impossible for me to pursue an internship where I'd have to relocate," Callender said. "Because of this program, I'm able to pursue an internship in the field that I want to and connect with professionals."

Meet the 2019 Lookout Fellows:

Brandon Callender '20

Brandon Callender is an aspiring reporter and rising senior at the Hussman School. He currently serves as programming director for the North Carolina Fellows Program, a three-year cohort-based program which seeks to develop the leaders of tomorrow. Callender also works in the Hussman School as an assistant for the Chuck Stone Program, where he helps Teaching Assistant Professor Livis Freeman, the director of the program, in planning a five-day summer workshop that invites high school students to Carolina to gain experience in all fields of journalism and create their own publication.

With the help of The Lookout Fellows Program, Callender is interning with The FADER in New York City for Summer 2019.

Jeremiah Rhodes '20

Jeremiah Rhodes is a rising senior studying photo and video journalism at the Hussman School. Rhodes has a passion for activism and social justice. He aims to tell stories through his photos and through documentary filmmaking. Rhodes is currently a staff writer and photographer for Black Ink Magazine, a local publication that intends to impact the African-American community. He also worked as lead producer, lead photographer and social media coordinator on "Silence Sam," a student-led film in the Hussman School that focuses on the fight to get rid of Silent Sam. Rhodes hopes to work as a freelance documentary filmmaker and photojournalist for publications such as The New York Times or MediaStorm, using his talents and passions to elevate the voices of people in marginalized communities.

With the help of The Lookout Fellows Program, Rhodes is interning with NPR in Washington, D.C., for Summer 2019.

Stella Shon '20

Stella Shon is a rising senior specializing in advertising with a minor in French. Her favorite experience so far as an undergraduate at Carolina was studying abroad in Paris with the UNC Summer in Paris Program in 2017. Shon is working hard to be fluent in French, and ultimately her dream job is to work in the fashion or beauty industry in Paris. She worked as a social media intern at the UNC Undergraduate Admissions Office for Summer 2018. Shon is interested in creative branding, new media technologies and social media marketing.

With the help of The Lookout Fellows Program, Shon is interning with JetBlue Airways at its headquarters in New York City for Summer 2019.

Julia Slawek '20

Julia Slawek is a rising senior studying strategic communication in the Hussman School. She has joined Alpha Phi Omega, a service fraternity, and works for two student-run magazines — Coulture and Her Campus. Through Alpha Phi Omega, she serves organizations in the community for at least 30 hours a semester. She helped establish Her Campus at Carolina as a founding member in Spring 2018 and later became the co-director of marketing and publicity, through which she publicizes events and posts on Instagram daily. 

With the help of The Lookout Fellows Program, Slawek is interning with Cramer-Krasselt at its headquarters in Chicago for Summer 2019.