Journalism major embraces opportunities, internship with tradition-rich paper

(Editor’s note: This is the 10th in a series of stories about students in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications completing summer internships.)

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — When Avery Hill picked Penn State for his college career, he was a little shy, lacked experience and, at best, hopeful about what might happen for his future at the University.

Now entering his senior year, Hill has built the foundation for a career in journalism, gained a comfort level collaborating and networking with others, and he’s appreciative of what’s been a transformational experience.

“The most amazing thing for me is how many opportunities have opened up here,” Hill said. “It’s really been a blessing to get to do so much.”

The latest opportunity is an internship with the Providence Journal, thanks to a program coordinated by the Sports Journalism Institute. Hill’s summer started with a weeklong bootcamp at Arizona State University in early June as he and other interns sharpened their skills and gained some practical experience covering an Arizona Diamondbacks game and a Phoenix Mercury game.

Participants in the program were then placed with media outlets all over the country with Hill, from Suitland, Maryland, getting an assignment with the 196-year-old media outlet in Rhode Island. The newspaper has earned four Pulitzer Prizes and refers to itself as America’s oldest daily newspaper in continuous publication. These days that includes online news distribution and a website.

Hill has handled a variety of assignments this summer, including covering an Inter Miami-New England Revolution soccer match and training camp for the New England Patriots.

He started working at the Daily Collegian early in his career at Penn State and has covered a variety of beats and held several leadership positions. He’s covered Penn State women’s basketball, men's hockey and softball, among others. He also spent a semester in the news division covering culture, identity and stories with international impact.

Hill has served as the sports editor, and he’s currently the Collegian’s football editor.

“I’ve tried to improve a little every semester,” Hill said. “When I got to Penn State, I had written some things for an English class in high school but really did not have journalism experience. I wanted to do all the things they said were possible here, so I just worked as hard as I could, asked for help to learn, and worked to make connections and network.”

Along with the Collegian, Hill was part of the team from the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism that partnered with the Associated Press to cover the Paralympic Games in 2024. He’s also traveled to cover many sporting events, including the Fiesta Bowl in January, and attended the annual conference for the National Association of Black Journalists.

As a complement to that hands-on experience, he’s attended on- and off-campus job fairs and engaged with faculty members — for networking advice and connections, as well as tips to improve his reporting and writing.

“Avery personifies the idea that — especially early in your career — it’s almost always a good idea to say ‘Yes’ to opportunities,” said John Affleck, director of the Curley Center and head of the Department of Journalism, who selected Hill for the Paralympics role. “Avery has learned so much by being open to learning new things and swimming in the professional deep end.”

Hill said all the experiences have only heightened his passion for storytelling. He also appreciates the feedback and impact others have had on his development.

“I think I’ve gotten better, even though I know I have room for improvement. I’m a competitive person, so that drives me to try to get better,” Hill said. “I think I’m finding my writing voice. My writing wasn’t as informed before — maybe that was a lack of experience, a lack of research, or both. But it’s getting better, and I’m also learning to be concise with my storytelling.”

He certainly has a story to tell about his Penn State experience.