Return Address (with phone and email)

Date

Intern Program Address (include name of administrator, correct spelling)

Dear Mr. Kelly and Intern Program Selection Committee:

My friends say I am "nuts" after hearing that I spend 30 hours a week inside the concrete newsroom of the daily student newspaper at the University of Hawai`i.

They don’t understand why I will pass up perfect surf to write two stories averaging 25 inches every week. My girlfriend wonders why I will miss another party to select, then edit three stories (wire and staff) and layout two news pages every weekday on deadline. They question why (on top of being a full-time student) I like to assign and edit all the news stories, coach 33 staff writers, and schedule writing and reporting workshops to increase staff skills and their understanding of our readership.

But each time I write or edit a story for our 14,000 readers, I learn something new. When I was managing editor for the Kapi`olani Community College weekly student newspaper, I also learned about taking digital photographs and laying out pages with QuarkXPress and InDesign.

I still enjoy getting that long-awaited phone call from a source, sending the story to copy on time, watching the printed version still warm ejecting from the printer and landing safely in my hands. I love informing the public by doing what I love. All of that is why I have chosen journalism as my profession.

My experiences in writing, editing, and reporting and my interest in and dedication to the profession make me an ideal candidate for the intern position you are offering. I have enclosed a resume and a sample of my writing for your review. I look forward to meeting with you to discuss how I can contribute to your newspaper.

Sincerely,

John Doe