Introducing Times of San Diego’s 5 fall reporting and marketing interns

Times of San Diego is proud to welcome five fall interns from universities in California and Arizona during the fall semester.

The five are Calista Stocker from San Diego State University, Sophia Sleap from UCLA, and three — Charlotte Simon, Esmeralda Hernandez and Tainá Fonseca — from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

Stocker, a native of New Hampshire, is a fourth-year student pursuing a journalism major and sociology minor at San Diego State. She currently serves as co-editor-in-chief of The Daily Aztec and president of the college’s Society of Professional Journalists chapter.

“I’ve always had a fondness for local news and storytelling and am beyond excited to join the Times of San Diego team,” said Stocker, who will focus on neighborhood coverage for the Mission Times Courier section.

Sleap, a native of the England now living in California, is pursuing a new career in journalism after 16 years working for nonprofit social-service organizations. She has a master’s degree in Latin American Studies from UCLA and is earning a certificate in journalism at that university.

“I value telling stories that redirect narratives to systems and center the voices of the most marginalized,” said Sleap, who will focus on covering community news in La Mesa and surrounding areas.

Simon is a master’s student at the Cronkite School, studying strategic communication. She has previous experience with content strategy, email campaigns and marketing efforts. Working remotely from Phoenix, she will handle promotion and social media projects for Times of San Diego during her internship.

“I look forward to building meaningful campaigns and finding new ways to engage audiences,” Simon said. “Every project is a great opportunity to learn and make an impact.” 

Hernandez is a New Jersey native who made the move to Arizona to launch a career in writing. She is a senior at the Cronkite School whose previous work includes stints at Blaze Radio and The State Press at Arizona State. During her internship, she will cover breaking news for Times of San Diego.

“Getting to know new people from different backgrounds has always been my favorite part about this job, and I look forward to carrying that on in San Diego,” said Hernandez.

Tainá Queiroz Fonseca is a native of Brazil who is hopes to pursue investigative journalism after graduation. A junior at the Cronkite School, she has interned at Blaze Radio, the Downtown Devil and Cronkite News. Like Hernandez, she will cover breaking news.

“I am most excited to sharpen my interviewing and reporting skills, and get to work with amazing journalists,” Fonseca said.

Every semester, Times of San Diego offers internship opportunities for journalism students at California and out-of-state universities. The positions are posted and applicants chosen by NEWSWELL, the website’s parent organization.