(Editor's Note: This is the fourth in a series of stories about students in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications completing summer internships in 2026.)
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — At a convention last summer, a recruiter from the national multimedia company TEGNA told Jezenia Marrero that sports internships at local news stations were scarce. Positions in major markets were near nonexistent. He recommended other positions, but Marrero politely declined. A year later, she’s interning in the sports department at 11Alive News in Atlanta.
Many of the accomplishments in Marrero’s young career emerged from that mindset. A first-generation college student from the Miami area, she credits a strong network, her faith and an unwillingness to settle as keys to her early success.
“You have to be OK with putting yourself out there, being upfront with people. I think people appreciate that,” said Marrero, a senior broadcast journalism major and Bunton-Waller scholar in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications. “Doors will open and doors will close … but closed mouths don't get fed, so you got to do it.”
Summer in Atlanta
Atlanta is a top-10 television market in the United States. Between college and professional sports, the city has a lot to offer. Per Marrero’s nature, there will be few, if any, opportunities not taken this summer.
She has reported from Atlanta Falcons practices, University of Georgia baseball games and the Atlanta Hawks facility for the NBA Draft. She also has attended press conferences, written scripts, built TV packages, and practiced stand-ups and voiceovers.
“It's been great. The reporters and the anchors are so helpful and willing to answer any questions, look at any work, break it down to me,” Marrero said. “I think that learning in such a big market is going to be great for when I get onto the job search.”
With plans to graduate in December, the internship has been a pivotal step in Marrero’s college career. Getting “real-world reps” in the fast-paced industry of sports journalism has been instrumental to her development. But excelling at these tasks has been validation that all her networking, practice and “saying no” were worth it.
“My goal is to have one of my packages air. Also, we have a Sunday night sports extra show that's 30 minutes, and we've talked about me hosting one of those,” she said. “I just want to create the best reel and the best portfolio for myself.”
Setting the foundation
Support from the Bellisario College was integral in getting Marrero into the right situations equipped with the skills and experience to meet the right people.
“A unique thing about the Bellisario College is that it's such a smaller, tight-knit family,” she said. “I really have thrived in that.”
Marrero finds inspiration in everything. She said seeing former classmates graduate to jobs at ESPN and other major networks is encouraging. The number of extracurricular opportunities at the Bellisario College has been motivating. She has even found a calling in mentoring and supporting younger students.
As a Bellisario Fellow, she presented to high school journalists at the National High School Journalism Convention in Nashville this past November. Along with the other fellows, she talked about her experience as a college journalist and what it’s like reporting at one of the largest sports programs in the country.
Setting the example are the faculty members and staff back on campus, who Marrero said provide the support that has had an influence on her and her career.
“The Bellisario College has really good professors,” she said. “There's a handful of them that I know would be able to help with anything … and they genuinely want to see students grow and become the best version of themselves.”
Marrero said her favorite class was COMM 360: Audio News Production, a course known for challenging assignments with strict deadlines. She said her professor, Barry Wade, who is a senior producer at AccuWeather, made all the difference.
“He was literally like the best professor ever. He was so kind, so genuine and gave good feedback,” she said. “I became a better writer, and by the end of the class, I felt like I built relationships and friendships with some of these people.”
One friendship fed directly into Marrero’s extracurricular work at Big Ten Plus, the Big Ten Network’s streaming service that includes students in coverage and play-by-play. Working together, Marrero and classmate Jack Rachinsky, a senior broadcast journalism major, developed on-air chemistry that she said is “so important,” and it all started in COMM 360.
“I think Jezenia can do whatever she wants to do, whether that's reporting at the Super Bowl or reporting behind a desk. I think the sky's the limit for her,” Wade said. “If you were to ask what a student should be like, they should be like Jezenia. She’s always looking ahead, but also she is always looking out for her teammates.”