From January throughout April of 2016, I interned at the New People, which is a freely distributed newspaper owned by The Thomas Merton Center, a non-profit peace and social justice group. I interned as a reporter focusing on LGBTQ issues and local activism, which allowed me to write three articles for the print edition (which were also published online) and over ten blog posts exclusive to the group’s website.

One article I wrote was a feature on a non-profit called the GLCC of Pittsburgh, which provides services for LGBTQ people in the city. The feature focused on the group’s “Youth Nights,” a program aimed at providing a safe, comfortable environment for LGBTQ youth to hang out and interact with others.

Credit: New People

Another article I wrote was a news story spinning out of a February 26 Port Authority board meeting. Two activists shared concerns about the death of Bruce Kelley Jr. during an altercation with Port Authority police in January.

Credit: New People

The last article I wrote for The New People was coverage of a rally in support of equal pay for women along with similar political issues such as minimum wage legislation.

I also provided tertiary services to the New People, such as contributing to the Thomas Merton Center Instagram page and copy-editing press releases that were included in the print newspaper.