POTSDAM -- This week a SUNY Potsdam student joins North Country Public Radio staff for the Korva Coleman Journalism internship.

Alexandra Rivera '22 felt the potential of storytelling when she visited family in Puerto Rico soon after Hurricane Maria in 2017 and interviewed local residents about the devastation.

This week, Rivera added the new layer to her experience as editor-in-chief of SUNY Potsdam's student-run newspaper, The Racquette.

Rivera, an English and environmental studies major from Nyack, is the first Korva Coleman Intern.

SUNY Potsdam welcomed National Public Radio newscaster Korva Coleman to campus last fall to speak to journalism students and give a talk for the public. Coleman requested that her honorarium for visiting campus be used to fund a paid NCPR internship for a student of color.

"When I met Korva last year as she was preparing to give a talk on campus, I was immediately starstruck and she helped me get excited about my future career as a reporter," Rivera said. "I also can't wait to work with the news team at NCPR. They do amazing work around the North Country area and I am so lucky to begin to be part of that work."

North County Public Radio has equipped Rivera with a laptop, recorder and headphones. Like most media staff, she will work remotely due to COVID-19 safety measures.

"We're thrilled to partner with SUNY Potsdam to help train the next generation of journalists to seek out the truth and report it," said David Sommerstein, news director at NCPR. "We've already seen that Alexandra Rivera brings a fire, passion, and intellectual curiosity that Korva Coleman would be proud of."