Meet Bridge Magazine’s 2020 summer journalism interns

Three talented young journalists join Bridge Magazine this summer as journalism interns.

The three join a staff of 12 full-time reporters and editors at the award-winning, nonpartisan publication.

Meghanlata Gupta grew up in Michigan, splitting time between her home in Ann Arbor and extended family in the Upper Peninsula. Gupta is a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, and plans to focus much of her attention this summer on expanding Bridge’s coverage of Michigan’s 12 federally recognized Native American tribes.

Gupta created a tribal news website called Indigenizing the News that has drawn national attention. 

"Native American communities and contemporary issues are often underrepresented in mainstream media,” Gupta said, “so I'm hoping to work against stereotypes and misconceptions in my work this summer." 

Gupta will be a senior at Yale University this fall, where she is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in ethnicity, race and migration. She started her internship May 4.

 "I feel really lucky to work with such a passionate, experienced, and enthusiastic group of writers,” Gupta said. "Journalism is all about storytelling, so I hope to learn and strengthen these techniques with some of the best."

Eve Washington is a junior at Columbia University in New York. The Bloomfield Hills resident is majoring in data science, and is managing editor of the campus magazine, The Eye.

The offer to work for Bridge “invigorated me and excited me for the first time in a while,” Washington said. 

She will start at Bridge on May 26, splitting time between general reporting and data analysis and visualization

“It goes without saying that I want to be a better writer at the end of the summer,” Washington said. “But on top of that, I also want to be more confident in my skills and leave having a better understanding of what my future and journalism is going to be.”

Sophia Yoon will be a junior at the University of Michigan this fall. The Gaithersburg, Maryland resident will enroll in U-M’s Ford School for Public Policy in September.

“I'm really excited about being an intern at Bridge, because I feel like I can learn a lot from the way they relay Michigan-relevant news in an accessible manner,” Yoon said. “I’m really grateful to … help out in any way I can.”

Yoon is an arts editor at the Michigan Daily, U-M’s student newspaper, where she manages a staff of reporters who write about entertainment. Yoon will begin her internship June 1. She will be a general assignment reporter, with an emphasis on public policy issues.

“With all that's going on right now, it's crucial to keep people updated and informed on the things that are affecting their lives and the lives of people around them, and I think even being a minor part of that will really change my perspective and help me become a more informed citizen,” Yoon said.

Bridge project editor Ron French manages Bridge’s internship program. 

“We are very lucky to have three such talented young journalists join our team for the summer,” French said. “At a time when reliable, accurate news is more important than ever, Sophia, Eve and Meghanlata will reinforce our efforts to keep Michigan residents informed on the issues that impact their lives.”