MyRye.com welcomes college and high school interns from the City of Rye throughout the year. One of our interns in the summer of 2025 was Eli Chopra, currently a senior at Rye Country Day School. He completed this Q&A interview with us at the conclusion of his internship.
You can read interviews with various MyRye.com interns. If you have an interest in writing, editing, photography or marketing, please apply to our internship program. We are currently accepting applications for summer 2026.
Your Name: Eli Chopra
Your Title: MyRye.com marketing and photography intern
Describe yourself in one word: Driven
MyRye.com: What appealed to you about local journalism and the MyRye.com internship?
Chopra: I was eager to further develop my passions for business and photography. When my economics teacher told me about the MyRye.com internship, I recognized it as the perfect opportunity to explore both interests while building new skills.
Describe a typical day during your internship.
Chopra: My days varied depending on whether I was focused on photography or marketing. On photography days, I was typically assigned a specific area to capture. I would head into town to take photos, then return home to catalog and organize them on my computer so they were ready for use in articles. On marketing days, my work ranged from networking via email and phone to more hands-on efforts, such as going into town and visiting businesses door to door.
Tell us about one or two of your assignments.
Chopra: I was assigned to photograph the Rye Police Department’s National Night Out event, which gave me experience capturing community moments and organizing photos for publication. These experiences strengthened my communication skills, expanded my photography portfolio, and gave me insight into how partnerships and coverage can help connect a community.
What happens at the daily stand-up meeting?
Chopra: At the daily standup meetings, each intern normally goes over what they worked on that day, and then they receive advice and instruction from Jay and Beatrice on what they should do next with their current project.
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?
Chopra:
- From Larry Kramer [former president, digital media CBS Corporation; vice chair, board of trustees, Syracuse University]: I learned the importance of having background knowledge regarding the topic that is being written about.
- From Todd Smith [former editor-in-chief, Outdoor Life magazine]: I learned how important it is to try and write about something you are passionate about.
Thanks Eli!
