KSWO Internship

Two lucky Gaylord students had the opportunity to experience a taste of their dream jobs thanks to generous funding from the McMahon Foundation.

Tevis Hillis and Abby Foster, recent broadcast journalism graduates, interned last semester at the KSWO news station in Lawton, honing their skills as multimedia journalists and producers.

Gaylord professors Mike Boettcher and John Schmeltzer were instrumental in helping find funding for the program. The McMahon Foundation, which is based in Lawton, is committed to finding ways to help students gain the experience they need to thrive in the ever-changing media landscape.

With the help of Boettcher and Schmeltzer, the McMahon Foundation is helping fund the Gaylord News Apprenticeship Program, which will act as an extension of the Gaylord in Washington and Gaylord News Oklahoma programs.

“The program is a win-win, providing much-needed resources to struggling news organizations that will enable them to better report issues important to their communities and, at the same time, provide valuable work experience for Oklahoma’s student journalists who are the future of journalism and civil stewardship in under-resourced communities throughout Oklahoma,” according to a Gaylord College announcement about the program.

Hillis and Foster said the program gave them ample opportunities they’re not sure they would have found elsewhere.

“I know that having this opportunity is already putting me ahead of many other new journalists. I had real-world experience. I know how to react and go, and that is exactly what a journalist needs to be great at,” Hillis said. “I am so thankful to have been one of the first sent down to try this. I will forever be grateful for everyone in Gaylord. I hope to one day impact a student like I have been impacted here.”

“One of the biggest things that working at KAWO taught me is different systems. Having to learn these different systems is allowing me to open up my job search more and show the skills I have to be a great producer,” Foster said. “I’m just really thankful for Gaylord College, OU Nightly, KSWO and all of my professors for all of their help, guidance and investment in me as a student and a producer. I wouldn’t be where I am today, looking for the jobs I am looking for, without their help.”

Gaylord College is thankful for the amazing faculty who are passionate about helping students such as Hillis and Foster, and for providing them with real-world opportunities that will have an impact as they’re starting out in their careers.