MyRye.com welcomes college and high school 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 interns in the Summer of 2023 was Beatrice Larzul, currently a sophomore at Williams College. She completed this Q&A interview with us at the conclusion of her internship. You can read interviews with various MyRye.com interns.
Your Name: Beatrice Larzul
Your Title: MyRye.com intern
MyRye.com: Describe yourself in one word: Perceptive
What appealed to you about local journalism and the MyRye.com internship?
Larzul: I interned for MyRye.com last year for my high school senior internship and, although it was only a month long, I really enjoyed it. Since the start of high school, journalism has always intrigued me, so interning locally seemed like a great first experience in that industry. I appreciated working in and learning more about the Rye community as well as discovering the mechanics behind journalism itself.
This summer, however, I interned for a little over two months. Naturally, I learned even more than I did last year. While continuing writing articles and conducting interviews, I also was an editor and oversaw a few other interns. This role definitely taught me a lot about the management side of a local news source.
Describe a typical day during your internship.
Larzul: Every day starts off with the routine 10am standup meetings, where all the interns and Jay, publisher and owner of MyRye, get together either on google meet or in person. After the calls, I work either online, sending out emails to businesses or individuals I’m looking to interview, or go into Rye to do my assignments. For example, one of them was profiling bartenders. I would go to Purchase St and walk into the restaurants to ask if their bartenders would be interested in filling out our Q&A.
Tell us about one or two of your assignments.
Larzul:
One of our group assignments was the 1999/1974 Yearbook Project. Two groups were assigned to a class (whose 25th and 50th reunions are coming up in 2024) and we reached out to the graduates for profile interviews. We all worked together — at times meeting in person — to find their contact information and call or email them. Luckily, the high school’s directories saved us from spending too much time scraping for phone numbers or emails on social media.
Another assignment I was involved in was profiling Rye vets. Since this project is still pretty recent, I interviewed just one Rye veteran, Herbert Blecker. However, I will say that it was probably the most interesting and tantalizing interview I had done yet. I met with Herbert and Robin, his daughter, in his house in Rye, conducting the interview in person. It was his 97th birthday that day. I talked to both Herbert and Robin about Herbert’s time serving in the US Navy. Despite the convenience of email or text, I found that I much preferred in person interviews because I left the interview with a more personal, holistic perspective on Herbert’s life and story.
What happens at the 10am stand-up meeting?
Larzul: We individually give an update on prospecting articles, projects, contacts, interviews, etc… The two editors, myself and Matthew Capaldi, would check in with our assigned intern groups. Then, the interns and Jay collectively discuss/go over group projects.
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?
Larzul:
- We had several speakers come to talk about local journalism. One speaker, Chris Falcone, talked about his time as a writer for a local newspaper and his current role as an editor for the Bronx Times and how those two differed from each other. He also explained how important it was to know the community you’re reporting on, more so as a writer than an editor.
- A lot of speakers also talked about the advertising industry in journalism. They gave us insight into how and whether the digital ad market is a real threat to the media industry.
- Another speaker, Larry Kramer, detailed his extensive, prolific background in journalism as an editor, writer, media executive, and more. He epitomized his professional life with several pieces of advice: take risks in your career choices and be patiently inquisitive — always look for something more in a story, even if it’s not evident at first.
Where are you currently in college?
Larzul: I am a rising sophomore for 2023-23 at Williams College.
Will you continue to study writing, English or journalism as part of your academic and extracurricular activities?
Larzul: Yes, I wrote for the Arts section of my college newspaper in the fall of my freshman year, but hope to be more involved this upcoming school year.
I am also intending to major in English.
Thanks, Beatrice!
