The first cohort includes two recent Stan State graduates and two current students: Adams, an Escalon native; Teisy Zavala-Cortez, a recent graduate from Modesto; Natalie Mejia, a senior from Riverbank; and Katherine Zagone of Modesto.
All four have worked with The Signal, Stan State’s student newspaper. But at The Modesto Focus, they have stepped into a different kind of journalism environment — one where they are working alongside professional journalists and contributing to a news organization serving the broader community.
For Zavala-Cortez, the internship has meant discovering where she sees herself in journalism. She arrived interested in storytelling but wasn’t sure what role she wanted. Then she began working alongside Focus reporters in the field.
Zavala-Cortez shot video and photos for a story on the impact of Del Monte’s decision not to process local fruit this season. She later edited a social media reel tied to the story herself.
“Before this internship, I thought I wanted to be in front of the camera,” she said. “Now I know I want to be behind it.”
The experience helped her realize she wants to pursue documentary filmmaking or eventually become an executive producer.
“There’s something really powerful about helping tell someone else’s story,” Zavala-Cortez said.
That sense of purpose is something Marijke Rowland sees often.
The former Modesto Bee reporter now leads The Modesto Focus through the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative.
For Rowland, the internship program is both practical and deeply hopeful.
“It doubled our staff,” she said with a laugh.
But more than that, she said, the students bring energy, perspective and a reminder that journalism still matters.
“They bring a lot of energy and a lot of excitement about reporting in our region,” Rowland said. “They obviously bring a younger perspective to our newsroom. We have some younger reporters, but we also have veteran reporters, so it helps balance our mix. They’re really excited to get working, so that excitement rubs off on us.”
The students have contributed in a variety of ways.
Some have shadowed reporters in the field, shooting video and taking photographs. Others have helped produce social media coverage or contributed to specific projects.
During Women’s History Month, interns created a series of social posts highlighting historical women from the region in partnership with the McHenry Museum and Historical Society. Zagone, who is interested in arts reporting, helped produce The Modesto Focus’ monthly arts roundup. Adams and Mejia have contributed to social media and field reporting assignments.
The internships are designed to match students’ interests while exposing them to the realities of modern journalism.
That means learning to shoot video, edit reels, report for digital audiences and create content that reaches people where they are.
“News isn’t just print anymore,” Adams said. “You have to know how to do a little bit of everything.”
The internship also has reinforced something else for Adams: that local journalism can still make a difference.
It means more when you’re reporting on your own community. You care more because these are your people.
— Ella Adams ’25, Psychology
Growing up in Escalon and studying at Stanislaus State, Adams had spent years hearing people say journalism was disappearing.
But reporting in the Valley — and reporting on issues that affect the people around her — made the work feel more urgent and more personal.
“It means more when you’re reporting on your own community,” Adams said. “You care more because these are your people.”
