We strongly believe in the importance of supporting aspiring journalists and providing them with the opportunity to gain experience and mentorship and learn the craft of journalism. Over the years, we have hosted many exceptional interns and fellows from Maine and from across the U.S. They have come to us as high school students, undergraduates and graduate students. Learn more about our current interns and fellows, as well as our intern/fellow alumni and what they are doing now!
As part of our strategic priority to strengthen news ecosystems, we continue to cultivate and develop the next generation of journalists through internships and fellowship opportunities. The Monitor advertises open internship and fellowship applications on our careers page as they become available.
2026 Interns & Fellows
Abi Brissett is an Ida B. Wells reporting intern for The Maine Monitor. Her internship is supported by the Ida B. Wells Society in collaboration with the Nonprofit Newsroom Internship Program created by The Scripps Howard Fund and the Institute for Nonprofit News.
As a reporter, Abi uses visual narrative storytelling to report on topics ranging from higher education to environmental issues to community arts. She is from Charlottesville, Virginia and earned a degree in political science and studio art from Davidson College. During her time at Davidson she was editor-in-chief of Hobart Park, Davidson’s student run literary magazine, and news editor for The Davidsonian, Davidson’s student newspaper.
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Coming soon
John Forbes is a reporting fellow for The Maine Monitor through the Scripps Howard Fund. John attended the University of North Texas, where he earned two bachelor’s degrees in journalism and political science. He has previously worked as a reporting fellow at the Fort Worth Report, news editor for his university’s student publication the North Texas Daily, a freelance reporter and photographer for the South Bend Tribune and as an intern in the U.S. Senate.
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Coming soon
Kate Kaufman is a Fitzgerald Reporting Fellow at The Maine Monitor. The Fitzgerald Fellowship is a program established by The Maine Monitor in partnership with Harvard University and the Libra Foundation. Kate is especially interested in writing about technology, scientific advancements, and mental illness in the digital age. She is a rising senior at Harvard College, where she serves as co-editor-in-chief of The Harvard Crimson’s weekly narrative journalism magazine Fifteen Minutes. As a Ledecky Fellow for Harvard Magazine, Kate writes a column about the undergraduate experience.
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Coming soon
Makayla Morello is a Maine Monitor Dirigo Intern for The Maine Monitor’s Monitor Local initiative. Her internship is made possible by a generous donation from William and Sally Zierden. Makayla serves as editor-in-chief of The Free Press at the University of Southern Maine. Originally from Westbrook, she has reported on topics ranging from emerging technology in higher education to local government and community issues across southern Maine.
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Megan Blonigen is a Fitzgerald Reporting Fellow at The Maine Monitor and a rising junior at Harvard College. The Fitzgerald Fellowship is a program established by The Maine Monitor in partnership with Harvard University and the Libra Foundation. At Harvard, Megan is a reporter at The Harvard Crimson covering university finances. She formerly covered government relations in Massachusetts, and previously served as a reporter, photographer and assistant editor at The Paynesville Press and The Eden Valley-Watkins Voice.
Story Archive:
Coming soon
Jacob Sher is a Fitzgerald Outreach Fellow at The Maine Monitor. The Fitzgerald Fellowship is a program established by The Maine Monitor in partnership with Harvard University and the Libra Foundation. He is a Masters of Public Policy student at the Harvard Kennedy School. Jacob’s background is in political campaign finance, political communications and urban studies. He has lived and worked around the country and is particularly interested in increasing civic engagement in and organizing events with new audiences and rural communities.
2025 Interns & Fellows
Stacey Zhang was an Ida B. Wells reporting intern in the summer of 2025 for The Maine Monitor. Her internship was supported by the Ida B. Wells Society in collaboration with the Nonprofit Newsroom Internship Program created by The Scripps Howard Fund and the Institute for Nonprofit News. For The Monitor, she reported on housing programs for asylum seekers and the state’s space industry.
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Yasmeen Khan was a Fitzgerald Fellow at The Maine Monitor during the summer of 2025. The Fitzgerald Fellowship is a program established by The Maine Monitor in partnership with Harvard University and the Libra Foundation. For The Monitor, she covered the intersection of the state’s economy with policies meant to help victims of domestic violence.
Yasmeen is now an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow at NOTUS.
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Iselin Bratz was a reporting intern for The Maine Monitor during the spring of 2025. She reported on the future of community paramedicine in Maine following funding cuts made by the Trump administration.
Following The Monitor, she interned for Maine Public.
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Haydn Russell was a development intern during the summer of 2025.
Following the completion of his internship, Haydn joined the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting as a development assistant.
2024 Interns & Fellows
Alexa Foust was a reporting fellow in the summer of 2024. For The Monitor, Alexa investigated Maine’s child care system and reported on election officials, violence on emergency room workers and mental health care.
Alexa now covers institutional investor activity across North America for MandateWire, a product of The Financial Times.
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Adrienne Washington was a 2024-2025 Roy W. Howard reporting fellow covering rural communities for The Maine Monitor. Her fellowship was supported by the the Scripps Howard Foundation. For The Monitor, she reported on a variety of health care issues, the impacts of funding freezes by the Trump administration and state legislation.
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Emily Hedegard was a development intern during the summer of 2024 and a reporting fellow for The Maine Monitor during late 2024 and early 2025. She reported on Maine’s maternity care challenges.
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2023 Interns & Fellows
Emmett Gartner joined The Maine Monitor in July 2023 as a Roy W. Howard fellow with a focus on Maine’s rural communities.
Following his year-long fellowship with The Monitor, Emmett joined the newsroom as an environment reporter, a position he held until early 2026. He explored how environmental policy aligns with Mainers’ lived experiences and where climate change complicates the status quo.
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Amanda Geduld covered education for The Maine Monitor through the Institute for Nonprofit News and Columbia Journalism School Internship Program in the summer of 2023. For The Monitor, Amanda reported on homeschooling in Maine, schools stocking overdose drugs and challenges to what books schools have in their libraries.
Following her internship, Amanda covered education for the Miami Herald as an intern and now covers education for The 74.
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Emma Gallant was a nonprofit management intern for The Monitor during the summer of 2023.
She is now a sales and marketing manager for Long Lake Marina in Naples.
2022 Interns & Fellows
Ellie Wolfe was a summer reporting intern for The Maine Monitor in 2022, covering health care, education and religion. Her internship was supported by the Bates College Center for Purposeful work.
Ellie now covers higher education for The Baltimore Banner and previously reported for the Arizona Daily Star.
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Christina Leonard was an audience engagement intern for The Maine Monitor. She helped amplify The Monitor’s reporting on social media and grew the newsroom’s social media following, particularly on Instagram.
Following her time with The Monitor, she served as a development and community relations VISTA fellow for the New York Office of the Appellate Defender and is now a project assistant for the agency.
2021 Interns & Fellows
Vanessa Paolella was a reporting intern for the summer of 2021, covering public safety issues for The Maine Monitor. Her internship was supported by the Bates College Center for Purposeful work.
Following The Monitor, Vanessa covered education for the Sun Journal before joining the Peace Corps and starting a nonprofit organization to help deaf students in Madagascar.
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2020 Interns & Fellows
Jordan Wolman was a reporting intern from 2020-2021. He reported on MaineCare as well as state and local government.
Following The Monitor, he spent four years at Politico covering the intersection of climate policy and business before joining CommonWealth Beacon to cover climate and energy issues in Massachusetts.
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Kate Lusignan was a reporting intern in 2020, covering education.
Following The Monitor, she was an emerging reporter fellow at ProPublica and reported for the Boston Globe. Kate now works for a corporate immigration law firm.
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2010-2019 Interns & Fellows
Emily Guerin was a reporting intern from 2010-2011. She reported on the 2010 governor’s race and investigated Maine’s bail system.
Following her time with The Monitor, she spent more than 15 years as a reporter and audio producer in North Dakota and California. Emily is currently a criminal defense investigator for the public defender’s office in San Francisco.
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Marina Villeneuve was an investigative reporting fellow in 2014. She primarily reported on public safety and state government.
Marina currently covers education for The Hechinger Report and previously covered education for The Bergen Record and Boston 25, the New York and Maine legislatures for the Associated Press and the U.S. Supreme Court for Salon.
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Mary Helen Miller was a reporting intern in 2011 and reported on Maine’s bail system.
She is now the editor of Chattamatters. She has reported for WUTC Chattanooga, WPLN Nashville, WBUR’s Here & Now, Chattanooga Times Free Press and Christian Science Monitor, among others.
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Matt Drange was a summer 2012 reporting intern that reported on the 2012 U.S. Senate election.
He currently reports for the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and previously reported for Business Insider, Forbes, The Information and the Center for Investigative Reporting, among others.
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Nathaniel Herz was a reporting intern in 2010, covering the 2010 governor’s race and the state Workers’ Compensation Board.
He currently runs his own newsletter covering Alaska after previously reporting for the Anchorage Daily News and Alaska Public Media. He has reported for The New York Times, NPR and The Washington Post, among others.
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Nell Gluckman was a 2013 reporting fellow that followed the money of the University of Maine System and U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree.
She currently covers higher education for The Chronicle of Higher Education and previously reported for The American Lawyer and Bangor Daily News.
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