This fall, The Woodford Sun instituted an internship program for college journalism students. A sub-committee of three of the Sun’s Advisory Committee, Helen Rentch, Tom Biederman and I, chose the horse industry as the focus for the initial group.
This program will be the model for future internship programs at the Sun, not only to expand the paper’s voice and topics, but also to help build a new generation of journalists interested in and committed to community journalism. We expect, though, that this equine internship program will continue along with any new ones.
Our first step was engaging Evan Hammonds, the former editor of The BloodHorse, as the primary mentor for the students. Hammonds lives in Versailles. Esteemed journalist Al Cross connected us to Jen Smith, an assistant professor in the University of Kentucky School of Communication and Information, who sent our application to likely students.
We chose three for the first year. Bella Sepahban and Delaney Foster are working with us this fall. Grace O’Halleran will join us in January.
Bella is a senior print journalism major with a minor in classics. She graduated from Danville Independent High School. Her first article was published in the Sun on Oct. 17. She said, “My knowledge of the equine industry was limited, so I immediately got to work researching the industry in Woodford County and the equine community’s rich history. I went to Keeneland during the September Yearling Sale with my internship mentor, Evan Hammonds, who has limitless knowledge of everything equine-related.”
Hammonds praised Bella for her research, which he said is crucial for preparing good questions for interviews. She also read copies of The BloodHorse and was quick to grasp the way the sales work at Keeneland.
“I had a wonderful time writing the article. I believe the only way to have a truly successful day is to learn something new. With this internship and this story, I was able to learn more than one new thing about the equine industry every day,” she said.
Bella has written for a multitude of news publications, both local, national and student-led, including the Kentucky Lantern, American Songwriter, The Watchdog News and the Kentucky Kernel. She is the editor-in-chief of The Watchdog News, a student-founded and student-led newsroom based in Lexington, Kentucky.
“I also dearly love photojournalism and documentary film, and believe that multimedia journalism is vital to helping journalism thrive in today’s day and age,” she said. Her internship focus will be on the Thoroughbred industry.
Delaney Foster, an Equine Science and Management major with a minor in Agricultural Economics, rides for the UK Western Equestrian Team. She earned world and reserve titles at the Pinto World Championship Show in 2022. She competes in Level 2 Horsemanship and Ranch Riding, which tests both elegance in the saddle as well as effective riding, as riders must execute patterns in different styles.
As an FFA officer, Delaney competed on the Livestock Evaluation Team, Agricultural Sales Team and the Horse Evaluation Team in Denmark, Georgia. Her high school team won the State Championship in Horse Evaluation. She was the individual state runner-up.
She says, “Through the internship, I am hoping to give a platform to equine industry professionals in the community, as well as gain hands-on experience and boost my writing and communication skills.” Foster will cover the Midway University Western Riding Competition and the Midway Wild Horse Film Festival and will work with me, an ag journalist, as her mentor.
Grace O’Halleran will join the Sun in January. She brought her horse to UK, where she competes in eventing and is a double major in sports journalism and sports communication.
The college internship program complements the Sun’s Woodford County High School program, where journalism students in Renee Boss’ journalism class contribute articles throughout the year. By fostering young journalists who cover stories important to Woodford County, the Sun is showcasing a signature industry and offering professional training to the next generation of writers.