Inside MyRye.com with Intern Sophie Molitor
MyRye.com welcomes interns from the City of Rye. If you have an interest in writing, editing or photography, please get in touch with us. One of our Rye High School senior interns in the Spring of 2022 was Sophie Molitor. She completed this Q&A interview with us at the conclusion of her internship.
Your Name: Sophie Molitor
Your Title: MyRye.com Spring 2022 intern
MyRye.com Describe yourself in one word: Creative
What appealed to you about local journalism and the MyRye.com internship?
Molitor: Rye has been my home for my entire life, and so naturally there is a lot of bittersweetness and nostalgia associated with moving away and going to college. Because of this, I was drawn to this opportunity to spend time engaging with the businesses and people that make this community so special. I have also always enjoyed writing and journalism, and I am lucky to have been able to pursue these interests in my extracurricular activities and school clubs. However, I also wanted to try applying the skills I have developed over time in a real-world job environment.
Describe a typical day during your internship.
Molitor: During a typical day, my mornings would be spent sending emails to subjects of Q&A editorials or properly formatting returned Q&As. In the afternoons, I would sometimes go into town to talk to business owners, collect contact information, and scout out potential Q&A interviewees.
Tell us about one or two of your assignments.
Molitor: One of my assignments was called “Buying & Selling Rye”, which involved conducting Q&As with real estate brokers in Rye. Another one of my assignments was called “Self Care Rye”, for which I was able to go into Rye’s downtown area and spend some time in the field talking to potential leads.
What happens at the 10am stand-up meeting?
Molitor: At the 10am stand-up meeting, we spend time checking in on everyone’s progress, what needs work, what’s going well, and what future projects and assignments are coming up. On Thursdays and Fridays, we would have speakers with experience in local journalism speak to us about their experiences and provide us with some advice regarding their field.
The MyRye.com interns heard from seven guest speakers, all with connections to local media. What were three of the more interesting things you learned?
- Cara Erickson – The importance of local journalism in encouraging community participation and civic engagement (Ex. local journalism and its link to voter turnout in local elections)
- Catherine Cioffi – How language, marketing, and communications can be used to better inform the public, especially during times of crisis (such as during the COVID-19 pandemic)
- Chris Falcone – Spoke about his experiences as a journalist writing for the Bronx Times, including some of his fascinating work covering New York City and Westchester County. This conversation really inspired me to think more broadly about the types of stories journalists can cover and write about.
Where are you headed to college?
Molitor: In the fall, I will be attending Georgetown University.
Do you plan to study writing, English or journalism as part of your academic and extracurricular activities?
Molitor: At the moment I am still undecided about my college major, however, I am leaning towards studying English and government. One of my favorite extracurriculars that I was a part of during high school was Rye’s literary magazine, Zephyr. I hope I can participate in a similar publication or club during my time in college! Regardless, I hope that I will still continue to write poetry and short stories in my free time, just like I do now.
Thanks and best of luck Sophie!
This Q&A was completed in June 2022 when Molitor was completing her MyRye.com internship.
