Inside MyRye.com with Intern Anika Kini

MyRye.com welcomes college and high school interns from the City of Rye throughout the year. One of our interns in the Summer of 2024 was Anika Kini, currently a senior at Rye Country Day School. She completed this Q&A interview with us at the conclusion of her internship.

You can read interviews with various MyRye.com interns. If you have an interest in interning to work on writing, editing, photography or marketing, please get in touch with us.

Your Name: Anika Kini

Your Title: MyRye.com editor

Describe yourself in one word: Diligent 

What appealed to you about local journalism and the MyRye.com internship? 

Kini: I’ve always loved meeting new people and interacting with those in my community, so the MyRye.com internship was a great way for me to do that. I also recognized the importance of local news when my parents told me that they needed information about early voting for the Congressional primary, and MyRye.com was the first place they turned to for information. I knew I wanted to be part of a publication that really supports the community at large. 

Describe a typical day during your internship. 

Kini: I typically spent my mornings sending emails to restaurants whose owners or chefs I was hoping to interview. I would also use that time to work on any projects that did not require speaking to someone external, like the feature on Rye Veterans. In the late afternoons and evenings, I would go into Port Chester, walk into some restaurants, and ask in person if they were interested in completing our Q&A. I usually spent my nights sending follow-up emails. 

Tell us about one or two of your assignments.

Kini: I was assigned to approach restaurants in Port Chester and see if they were willing to fill out a Q&A. Even though I interned for MyRye.com the summer before and had experienced talking to strangers, it was definitely still intimidating. With some trial and error, I figured out the best times to go into certain restaurants to avoid crowds. I also learned to not lose hope if a few restaurants said no to the Q&A. With a bit of persistence, I found at least a few places that were more than willing. Finally, I learned to vary my ways of contacting each restaurant. Whether it was going in person, calling, or emailing, I figured out which combination elicited the most responses. More often than not, the people who I approached were so kind and understanding!

What happens at the 10am stand-up meeting?

Kini: The stand-up meeting is a great time for the interns to share their progress on assignments and ask any questions they might have. Jay also uses this time to give out new assignments and make announcements. Interns can really learn from each other and find out what strategies have worked for other people. 

The MyRye.com interns heard from various guest speakers, all with connections to local media. What were three of the more interesting things you learned?

Kini: 

1. From Randall Rothenberg I learned about the advertising industry, associations, and the reasons for the decline of local news.
2. From Ethan Sears I learned all about covering sports and the importance of being flexible as a journalist. 
3. From Frank Mungeam I learned about the potential impact of Artificial Intelligence on the journalism industry, both beneficial and detrimental. 

Will you continue to study writing, English or journalism as part of your academic and extracurricular activities? 

Kini: I’m planning to take what I learned at MyRye.com and apply it to my school newspaper for my senior year. Even aside from the actual writing, my ability to walk up to someone on the street and start a conversation will definitely be useful throughout the rest of high school and into college.

Thanks Anika!