Aspiring William & Mary journalists now have an additional avenue to hone their craft – a new summer internship program with mentorship from award-winning reporters and editors from the Daily Press, Virginian-Pilot, and other outlets belonging to Norfolk-based Virginia Media, Inc.

Though William & Mary undergraduates often pursue summer internships with specific goals in mind, perhaps the greatest benefits of gaining hands-on experience in a potential career field are the zigs, zags, and unexpected life lessons that inevitably arise.

Through the Charles Center's Woody Internship in Museum Studies, ten William & Mary undergraduates spent last summer exploring potential careers in the field alongside mentors at nine host museums.

Charles Center summer 2024 interns are trailblazers, not only for being the largest cohort to date, but also for pioneering a new program – Sharpe Action Research Internships.

Dire predictions about the future of American journalism are common these days, but not so much at William & Mary, as student interest in the field flourishes amid a renaissance of Charles Center programs aimed to foster and inspire the next generation of reporters.

The Charles Center's City Research Scholars Internship offers undergraduate students hands-on research opportunities with local nonprofits and the City of Williamsburg.

Thanks to the vision and generosity of Dr. Carol Woody '71 and Robert Woody, William & Mary has been preparing undergraduates for careers in museums since the path-breaking Charles Center summer internship program launched in 2015.

Caroline Donovan '23 spent the summer unearthing Colonial Williamsburg's hidden history.

Through a summer research grant, Jack Boyd '23 identified 75 potential sites for inclusion in a new African American Heritage Trail in Williamsburg.