7 — Thursday, September 6, 2018
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Michigan in Color
Information
senior
Nisa
Khan participated in a summer-
long program with a grant from
the Knight Foundation and
hosted by the Craig Newmark
Journalism School (previously
known as the CUNY-J school).
Located in New York, this
diversity initiative trains 20
young
journalists
of
color,
funding their expenses and
connecting
them
to
media
companies
throughout
the
city. Khan interned with the
investigative reporting outlet
ProPublica.
How did you hear about
your internship? What made
you want to apply?
It took a lot of Googling.
There
are
a
lot
of
really
amazing, extremely generous
scholarships and programs out
there that I wouldn’t have been
aware of without the many hours
researching. I came across the
Knight-CUNYJ program a few
times in internship listings.
What are your favorite
memories
from
your
experience?
New York is really fun, as
it turns out. Even the media
training by the initiative was
a fulfilling time. But having
my first story published was
the most relieving, wonderful
experience.
We also went out for karaoke
and I repped Michigan by
singing Mr. Brightside. I don’t
care if anyone thinks it’s basic.
It’s still a banger my 2009
middle school self loved and no
amount of football tailgates can
take that away from me.
What is the culture like in
your program?
The
Knight-CUNYJ
is
a
wonderful program if you are
a person of color who aims
to go into this industry. You
get a great support group
and
teachers
of
a
similar
background. You are trained in
a wide array of multimedia tools
that are important to the field.
You are worked hard — I was
bone-deep tired every day, but
that’s the expectation.
I got along with my cohort
so well — I made some amazing
friends and we all carried each
other through an exhausting
and rewarding few months. A
guy saw me cry three days in a
row and I don’t really consider
myself a crier. He doesn’t
believe me when I say that and
that’s okay.
I
would
100
percent
recommend anyone to apply to
this program when applications
open early next year.
Intern Diaries: Part One
Summer
has
unfortunately
come to a close, and at Michigan
in Color, it’s a tad bittersweet.
Though many of us are excited
to come back to the Daily office
for more shenanigans, we’re also
sad to leave the places we spent
out internships in. We’re trading
business professional attire for
the office for the casual and
comfy clothes we usually wear in
college. Here, a few MiC editors
wanted to share their summer
stories of hustling, learning, and
the importance of diversity in the
workplace.
Rising Public Health senior
Christian Paneda took to the
famous (or infamous, depending
on how one wants to look at it)
Washington, D.C., to intern at the
U.S. House of Representatives.
His
work
was
assisted
by
the
Asian
Pacific
American
Institute
of
Congressional
Studies, a bi-partisan non-profit
organization dedicated to build
Asian-American
and
Pacific
Islander representation in public
service at local, state and national
levels.
The
organization’s
summer
internship
program
allows AAPI students to explore
the
intricacies
of
the
U.S.
Congress. Paneda interned for
the office of Rep. Mark Takano,
D-Calif, the first openly gay
person of color to ever serve in
Congress.
How did you hear about
your internship?
I heard about APAICS from
multiple sources. When I was
talking to a former senior MiC
editor, the incomparable Areeba
Haider,
on
opportunities
to
intern in Washington, D.C., she
knew a couple of people from
the program and recommended
to apply. At the same time, one
of my close mentors, who is
actually a D.C. superstar, was
involved with APAICS through
their fellowship program and
advised me that the program
was one of the best internship
opportunities. Both of them
weren’t wrong!
What made you want to
apply?
I’ve always had a passion
for policy. In the field of public
health, we talk a lot about how
the law and policy affects the
health of a population, especially
those who are marginalized
due to a variety of social
determinants. I wanted to intern
in Washington, D.C., to get a
hands-on perspective in the
policy-making process and learn
more about advocacy. Especially
since we live in an abnormal time
that threatens the livelihood of
so many people of color, I wanted
to take action. I applied to
APAICS because I aligned with
their mission of building the
AAPI pipeline, because diverse
representation is essential for
equitable policy. In the Midwest
communities of AAPIs, I’ve
heard a lot of mistrust of the
government (local, state and
national), thus leading to a
sense of apathy toward civic
engagement. I wanted to combat
that as I believe an individual’s
voice can hold a lot of power
when it’s in solidarity with
others.
What are your favorite
memories
from
your
experience?
I
absolutely
loved
every
moment of my internship! I
enjoyed learning about issue
areas I am extremely passionate
about – education, immigration
and health policy. Outside of
many of my intern tasks, I was
given the opportunity to do some
other cool things. I delivered a
couple of speeches – one included
me introducing the congressman
at a congressional event! In
Washington, D.C., APAICS really
afforded me the opportunity to
sit down with AAPI trailblazers
who have fought for people like
me to live unapologetically. I
found their sacrifice and their
stories to be inspirational.
What is the culture like
where you interned?
The Hill can be an intense
place. As it seems like horrifying
news is hitting every week, one
can imagine the daunting yet
necessary work needed to protect
many
different
marginalized
communities. Working in policy
takes dedication, perseverance
and optimism. What I am
also very thankful for is the
AAPI community in D.C. I was
surprised to find out how tight-
knit the community is, and I am
even more thankful that they
were so kind to me as a bright-
eyed intern.
Any advice for prospective
interns interested in public
service?
I’ve come to learn that success
is not individualistic. It is crucial
to find mentors in fields you’re
interested in and that can vouch
for your work. That said, I also do
not recommend burning bridges
as everything in public service is
related to community. Be genuine
with your connections! I’ve
heard a lot about transactional
relationships in D.C., and from
what I’ve observed, collaborative
work gets accomplished and
best sustained when a genuine
connection is established.
CHRISTIAN PANEDA
Senior MiC Editor
Courtesy of author
Want to write for Michigan in Color?
Email us at michiganincolor@umich.edu
Martin, Bell to receive more snaps against Western Michigan this week
While
a
disintegrating
offensive line and mistake-prone
defense drew most of the attention
against Notre Dame on Saturday,
Michigan’s wide receivers played
their best game in nearly two
years.
In the 24-17 defeat, sophomores
Nico Collins, Donovan Peoples-
Jones and Oliver Martin, as well
as fifth-year senior Grant Perry,
combined for 181 yards on 17
catches. It marked the position
group’s largest output since Nov.
5, 2016, when Wilton Speight set a
program record for passing yards
in a half.
The Wolverines’ passing game
sputtered in 2017, largely due to
the struggles of their wideouts,
who combined to catch just three
touchdowns all season. Perry,
their leading receiver, managed a
paltry 307 yards.
But on Saturday, the group
consistently beat the Fighting
Irish secondary — especially in
short-yardage situations — and
allowed Michigan to move the ball
despite rushing for just 58 yards.
“I thought we had pretty
good
separation
throughout
the game,” said receivers coach
Jim McElwain. “It’s something
you work on every single day,
and our guys I think have seen
the importance of it. … They’ve
responded well to being conscious
of gaining separation.”
Wolverine receivers mentioned
that as a priority throughout spring
and summer camp. They credited
McElwain — who was the head
coach at Florida from 2015 to 2017
— with teaching them subtleties to
the position that have aided their
growth from a season ago.
It showed Saturday, but still not
as often as McElwain would’ve
liked it to.
“One of the things we have to
do a better job of is playing fast
throughout the game,” he said.
“I thought there were plays we
looked slow. And yet, there were
times we looked pretty fast. The
consistency really wasn’t there,
and where I think we can be a
little better.”
McElwain
mentioned
this
was the case for Peoples-Jones
specifically, who made six catches
for 38 yards. Though Peoples-
Jones wasn’t one of the many who
fell victim to cramps in the South
Bend heat, fatigue caught up with
him — at least in his coach’s eyes.
“I think he played too many
plays,” McElwain said. “That’s
on me as far as being able to play
fast every single down. I think
there were times — not that he
was loafing, but quite honestly,
because he was gassed. We got to
do a better job (of managing) the
pitch count.”
That will likely lead to more
snaps for Martin and freshman
Ronnie Bell. After redshirting
last year, Martin made three
catches for 29 yards in his first
collegiate
appearance;
the
Wolverines ran two screens for
Martin before he caught a 21-yard
pass on Michigan’s lone offensive
touchdown drive.
On the other hand, Bell had
a much quicker path to the
Wolverines’ receiving rotation. A
former Missouri State basketball
commit with no other Division
I football offers, Bell committed
to Michigan last December but
learned enough of the offense to
see the field against the Fighting
Irish.
“He did a really good job
of
attacking
the
playbook,”
McElwain said. “The hardest
thing for guys sometimes when
they’re young is maintaining how
fast they can play when their mind
is spinning. I thought he did a
really good job.”
Balancing the mental demands
of the position with playing full
speed isn’t easy. McElwain saw
this with Collins, who took some
time to gain his confidence despite
being a four-star recruit.
“I thought (he was) tentative
early when we got here in the
spring,” McElwain said. “As his
confidence grew in the ‘what’ and
the ‘how,’ he seemed to play faster
and faster.”
Since sophomore Tarik Black
suffered a right foot injury, the
door opened for Collins, whose
size and speed have become a
talking point for Michigan players
and coaches. He showed why
against Notre Dame with three
catches for 66 yards — including
the Wolverines’ most explosive
play of the evening: a 52-yard deep
ball on the first snap of the third
quarter.
“I guess I’d say his assignment
grade was really good in this game,
which tells me he did a good job of
preparation,” McElwain said. “…
Technically, he played pretty darn
good.”
McElwain provided no update
on Black’s injury on Wednesday,
as he would neither confirm nor
deny the possibility of a comeback
this season. It’s a different group
replacing Black than in 2017
— Kekoa Crawford and Eddie
McDoom have both left the
program — and Michigan is still
working through its receiver
rotation.
But though it wasn’t a perfect
performance, Saturday showed
that the Wolverine receivers are
closer to answers than they’ve
been in some time.
KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Sophomore wide receiver Oliver Martin and freshman Ronnie Bell will play more snaps against Western Michigan, according to Michigan wide receiver coach Jim McElwain.
MARK CALCAGNO
Daily Sports Editor