Applications open: Bilingual summer internship honoring Pedro Gomez returns to The Arizona Republic
Applications are open for the second-ever Pedro Gomez Foundation-National Association of Hispanic Journalists' summer internship for bilingual reporters.
One student journalist will participate in the 10-week program at The Arizona Republic, where the internship's namesake worked for several years as a sports reporter.
Pedro Gomez was a first-generation Cuban American known for cultivating strong source relationships through bilingual reporting. He died suddenly in 2021 at the age of 58.
Sandi Gomez, Pedro's wife and president of the Pedro Gomez Foundation, said the successful applicant will mirror her husband's honesty, integrity and enthusiasm for the job. They must also be a current member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
"I think a big reason why he was so well-liked was because it wasn't just about the story. He was actually interested in the person he was talking to and interviewing," Sandi Gomez said. "He knew about their family and what they did, and he would ask them personal questions."
Pedro Gomez joined The Republic in the late 1990s as a national baseball reporter before leaving for ESPN in 2003. He and his wife chose to remain in Arizona to raise their family.
The internship is not limited to sports journalism. Applicants are asked to indicate whether they prefer news or sports, and the successful applicant may have the chance to work in both spaces.
Syracuse University senior April Santana, the inaugural Pedro Gomez intern in 2023, said she had never covered sports before her internship. She drew from her news background and took a people-centered approach to her stories that went beyond standard game coverage, she said.
Santana profiled Arizona Diamondbacks baseball player Geraldo Perdomo, bonding over their shared identity as Dominican Republic natives to tell his story better, she said. She covered the Latino LGBTQ+ community and interviewed Hispanic survivors at a bilingual domestic violence shelter in Phoenix. She wrote her stories to publish in English and Spanish for La Voz, The Republic's publication for Phoenix's Spanish-speaking community.
When her profile on Alvaro Mora Arellano, the only Arizonan on the USA Blind Soccer Men's National Team, was published in both Spanish and English, it became one of the first news stories Mora Arellano's mother had ever been able to read about her son because all previous reporting had been in English.
"That kind of put into perspective why I'm doing what I'm doing and why it's so important to have bilingual reporting," Santana said. "Up until that point, I never had that opportunity or the ability to use the Spanish language in my reporting."
To that end, internship finalists must demonstrate proficiency in both Spanish and English and will be interviewed in both languages. The deadline to apply for the in-person Pedro Gomez internship is Feb. 9.
"He could easily communicate to baseball players who were Dominican or Puerto Rican or Venezuelan, and those baseball players truly appreciated that because their words weren't changed or translated incorrectly to English. They felt comfortable speaking to him knowing that what they're saying is coming out as truth," Sandi Gomez said. "We need to continue trying to communicate to those who want to get their voice heard but can't do it in the English language."
How to apply
Where to apply: Applicants must submit their materials to the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
What to include: Applicants must submit cover letters in English and Spanish, a resume, an English essay, a Spanish essay, two letters of recommendation, five work samples and an application form.
The first to be awarded: Inaugural Pedro Gomez intern brings bilingual coverage to The Republic
Reach the reporter at nicholas.sullivan@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Applications open for bilingual Pedro Gomez internship at The Republic
