by Kimberly Rubio
This post is from our 2022 Spring Internship series.
My name is Kimberly Rubio and I am a senior at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. I am currently working toward my BA in public history. During my Spring 2022 semester, I interned with the Uvalde Leader-News. The publication has been in circulation since 1879 and is currently owned by Craig Garnett, who purchased the business in 1989. The business publishes twice weekly covering Uvalde County news, which includes the cities of Uvalde, Sabinal, Utopia, Concan, and Knippa. The newspaper captures moments in history. It was interesting to think that my writing contributions could possibly be utilized as sources for future historical research projects. In addition, the newspaper features a “Remember When” section in each Sunday edition. The section highlights important news published 10 years ago, as well as 50 years ago.
I was initially brought on to generate copy for the newspaper’s special sections, including the wedding planner, which is published in March, and the visitor’s guide, which is published in the summer. However, staffing issues, including a COVID-19 outbreak, altered my duties. I ended up interviewing sources/writing articles, editing copy, formatting school news and obituaries, paginating pages for publication, as well as working on the wedding planner. The wedding planner took priority over the visitor’s guide due to its publication date. My major writing contributions included an article about Uvalde High School senior Brian Reading, who was accepted into West Point, and a feature about Werner Ulrich. Ulrich, when he was 3 years old, was interned, along with his family, at the Crystal City Internment Camp. The camp housed German, Japanese, and Italian immigrants between 1942-1947. Ulrich is working with StMU history professor Teresa Van Hoy to bring recognition to German internees. He stopped by the Uvalde Leader-News to share his story with Uvalde readers. I also got a chance to drive to Crystal City to view the site myself. The wedding planner featured stories on how to obtain a wedding license, various types of ceremonies, flowers for the seasons, where to purchase wedding rings, as well as feature stories, including advice from elderly couples.
This internship, like most, teaches students what it is like in a work setting versus a school setting. I was challenged in juggling a full-time job, being a full-time student and home life, but it taught me to remain flexible and prioritize time management. I also appreciated perfecting my skills with InDesign, which is utilized for pagination purposes, and Photoshop, which is used to edit photos. I am not computer savvy so I appreciated these skills as I will most certainly need to be computer literate in my future career.
You can explore The Uvalde Leader-News at their website and at their Facebook page.
