Meet the eight star recruits who will be interning for The News & Observer this summer

Coaches Jon Scheyer and Hubert Davis aren’t going to text me for recruiting tips, and that’s their loss.

I’ve got game.

I’m a closer.

I’ve got stories.

One of our top prospects seemed interested but hadn’t committed. Signing Day was approaching. Our coaches couldn’t get a read.

That’s it, I told our recruiters. I’m reaching out to the prospect and getting this done.

And that’s how I met Shelby Swanson. At Brandwein’s Bagels in Chapel Hill, where she has punched a timecard — when not going to class, working as sports editor of The Daily Tar Heel, or finding time to be a college student.

I’ve recruited journalists for several decades. This is the first time my reputation depended upon cream cheese.

All my preparation — the schmooze, the pitch, the safe-but-not-boring #9 Turkey Avocado — and then Shelby casually launched the step-back three-pointer without any arms-waving gestures to a crowd of seven spread across Brandwein’s.

She’s accepting the offer to be a summer intern at The News & Observer. Swish!

Relax, she seemed to say to the overdressed editor sitting awkwardly in a rickety chair while totally spoiling the college hangout vibe.

She already had told Steve Wiseman, The News & Observer’s assistant sports editor. She had told friends. The more Shelby talked, the more truth dunked on my recruiter-as-closer swagger.

I was the last to know.

And I’m good with that.

Because The N&O’s 2024 summer intern class has serious skills.

Jessica Banov, The N&O’s recruiting coordinator, did great work bringing together this stellar class of eight interns from six colleges in five states.

Our eight interns will outnumber the count in many North Carolina newsrooms. I appreciate our company for investing and believing in student journalists.

This year’s class:

▪ Heather Diehl (Visuals) is a rising senior at UNC-Chapel Hill majoring in media and journalism with minors in health and society and studio art. She is one of three interns from The Daily Tar Heel, aka DTH. Heather also has freelanced for The N&O.

▪ Freya Gulamali (AAAS/Science) is a rising senior at Duke University studying computer science and health policy. She is working at the N&O as an AAAS Mass Media Science and Engineering Fellow this summer.

▪ Gabriella Hartlaub (Audience) is a rising junior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying journalism, public policy and gender and women’s studies. She has family in the Triangle.

▪ Emmy Martin (Projects) served as editor-in-chief of DTH and is the recipient of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s Edmund J. Sullivan Award for pursuing innovative ways to present the truth. She is a rising senior at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she is majoring in journalism and minoring in information science and is an Eve Carson Scholar.

▪ Vivienne Serret (Politics) is graduating from the University of Florida, where she has majored in journalism, criminology and pre-law with a focus on investigative journalism. Vivienne keeps the Gator streak going since the talented Makiya Seminera, now covering NC politics for The Associated Press, was part of The N&O’s 2023 summer intern class.

▪ Shelby Swanson (Sports): is a rising senior at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she is majoring in journalism and Hispanic literatures and cultures. She recently placed first in feature writing in the Hearst Journalism Awards.

▪ William Tong (Metro) is a rising junior studying journalism, computer science and legal studies at Northwestern University. He serves as city editor at The Daily Northwestern.

▪ Jayla Webb (Audience): Webb is a rising senior at Benedict College, where she is majoring in mass communications with a minor in marketing. Jayla interned with The N&O last summer and has continued to write newsletters and produce content for The N&O’s social media accounts.

Yes, I’m going to write nice things about our interns. But this isn’t hype.

The N&O’s Josh Shaffer recently was in Chapel Hill to assist with staff coverage of campus protests, including a viral fund-raising campaign for a fraternity that will get to party for patriotism.

Josh ran into Emmy and DTH staff and asked if they wanted to grab dinner.

Can’t do it, Emmy said. Instead, they headed to the DTH newsroom to put out a paper that evening.

Talented.

Dedicated.

And we’re already learning from this eight-stars recruiting class.

Bill Church is executive editor of The News & Observer.