Colorado Press Association

CPA Foundation Internships

The format for the Colorado Press Association Scholarship Fund college student internship program was revised to benefit participating newspapers and students.

In the past, students and CPA member newspapers applied to participate in the internship program, and the CPA Foundation Board paired the students with newspapers. The students selected for the program received a $2,500 scholarship from the CPA Scholarship Fund.

However, this summer students will be required to arrange the 10-week internship with a newspaper and then apply for the scholarship.

The new format was explained at the College Student Internship and Job Fair at the CPA convention in February and when CPA representatives visited college campuses last fall.

The program has been very successful for 14 years, and this change will make the process more convenient and practical for students and newspapers. The scholarship dollar figure didn’t change, and the money will be sent to the student’s college financial aid office.

The eligibility requirements state that the student must attend a four-year Colorado college or university, and the participating newspapers must be CPA members.

Since 1996, the foundation board has approved 163 college student internships, 115 high school student internships, 27 high school newspaper adviser internships and nine college faculty guest journalists.

CPA member newspapers interested in having a college student intern this summer are urged to send a description of the internship and contact information to Karen Bellina at The Denver Foundation (kbellina@denverfoundation.org).

The Denver Foundation administers CPA’s Scholarship Fund, Bellina, who is The Denver Foundation’s director of scholarship programs, will post the information on the Denver Foundation website next to the scholarship program information and application.

If college students want to apply for the scholarship money after they complete their internships next summer, their application must include a recommendation letter from the newspaper’s publisher or editor. The scholarship application deadline is Aug. 17.

High school students, who receive $500 stipends for internships, are also required to arrange their internships with newspapers before applying for the foundation money.

Information about CPA’s program for high school students and high school newspaper advisers is on the Colorado High School Press Association’s website and was distributed at CHSPA’s annual Journalism Day last October at Colorado State University in Fort Collins.

The internship program is funded by annual contributions from CPA members and proceeds from the convention silent auction.