HT.com Announces the Addition of 16 New Interns

The HottyToddy.com staff is pleased to announce the addition of 16 new interns. These interns are University of Mississippi students in the School of Journalism and New Media and will be working with the team for the fall 2019 semester.

“We’re excited to offer these students a challenging, rigorous experience that we know will help propel them into their next careers,” said Anna Grace Usery, editor-in-chief of the website.

In addition to their majors and hometowns, they each answered the question, “Why is journalism important to you?”

Please join the team in welcoming Hotty Toddy’s new interns:

Gentry Barton
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Major: IMC, senior

“Journalism allows for a narrative to be told. It allows for people from all different backgrounds to be connected.”

Gene Crunk
Hometown: Madison, MS
Major: IMC, freshman

“Journalism is important to me because it allows ordinary people to know what’s going on in their community and in the world around them.”

Katherine Deck
Hometown: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Major: IMC, senior

“I think the reason journalism is so important to me is that it provides an opportunity to have a voice and be able to speak for others that don’t have a platform to inspire and help the community around me.”

Margaret Dent
Hometown: Yazoo City, MS
Major: Journalism (print emphasis), Junior

“Journalism is the foundation of our lives. The people of our towns, states, and country have the need to know what is happening in a fair and honest way.”

Kassidy Desnoyer
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Major: IMC, senior

“I love journalism because it’s relevant to what is going on in the world. It’s important to provide citizens with the information they need to make the best possible decisions about their lives, their communities, their societies, and their governments. It is a necessary form of communication that we rely on daily and I think it’s so cool that we now can receive important news within seconds due to the power of social media and technology.”

Gregory Faul
Hometown: Gulfport, MS
Major: IMC, junior

“Journalism is important to me because getting the truth to the people is crucial, especially in today’s times. Not only that but telling people’s stories is so important in a world that sometimes lacks compassion. It’s what connects us all.”

Rienzi Gray
Hometown: Lake, MS
Major: IMC, senior

“Honestly, journalism is super important to me as I plan to pursue careers in advertising/PR which entails a lot of journalistic concepts. Like every article, I hope to tell a story with future brands/companies I work with whether it’s happy, emotional, or just being relatable. Journalism provides me with the skills necessary to attract those audiences and build relationships with those I’ve reached.”

Morgan Gusella
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Major: Marketing and Corporate Relations and Print Journalism, senior

“Journalism is important to me because it is an outlet where I can show my creative side through telling the stories of people/organizations that are doing incredible things in their community.”
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Hannah Johnson
Hometown: Corinth, MS
Major: IMC, freshman

“Journalism is important to me because it serves as a bridge connecting the community. It will always be relevant because people like to know what’s going on in the world around them.”

Ashton Logan
Hometown: Henderson, Kentucky
Major: IMC (Business Administration Minor with an emphasis in Magazine Management and Publishing), senior

“Journalism is at the very core of our society since it’s the way that we communicate news. As a journalist, it is my job to provide readers with unbiased, reliable information about current events and news in their community. The University of Mississippi’s School of Journalism and New Media, as well as HottyToddy.com, allows me the opportunity to grow as a writer and grants me the opportunity to pursue a passion that allows me to creatively communicate within my community, university and peers.”

Marissa McCardell
Hometown: Clovis, CA
Major: Broadcast Journalism, senior

“Journalism is important to me because it’s how we share information to the world around us. Without journalism getting stories, events and important issues out to the public would almost be impossible. It’s simply how we connect with other people and I think that’s so fascinating. That’s why I’m interested in it.”

Tavia Moore
Hometown: Wiggins, MS
Major: IMC Minor: Political Science and Business, junior

“Journalism is important to me because people are important. As cliché as it sounds, people are the reason for every laugh, cry, complaint, and struggle that we read about every day. Regardless of the topic, it’s important that all of their stories be shared through a variety of lenses. I think that’s the beauty of journalism – being able to convey someone’s story from the outside, looking in but also being so in touch with a storyline that you become one with it.”

Julia Peoples
Hometown: Puckett, MS
Major: IMC, junior

“Journalism is important to me because as I’ve grown older I’ve found that social media allows for a lot of false narratives, but journalism seeks the truth behind all the rumors.”

Akim Powell
Hometown: Long Beach, MS
Major: Journalism, senior

“I think journalism is important because it’s where we get our news. I also think it’s important because it’s also where we get our entertainment. Without Ellen or Oprah we would be nothing.”

Judson Scott
Hometown: Collierville, TN
Major: Journalism (specializing in Sports Communication and Promotion), senior

“Journalism is important to me because I believe it is important for the public to know the truth about what is going on around them and we as journalists can help do that.”

Kris Storey
Hometown: Ripley, MS
Major: Broadcast Journalism, senior

“Journalism is important to me because it is the most powerful position in the world. We would have no idea what was going on around us if we didn’t have a journalist to report it. Journalists connect the world.”

Information compiled by Gregory Faul