It's officially summer (OK, meteorological summer) and that means it's time for us to expand our newsroom with talented summer interns!

This week, we welcomed Samantha Poblette, who is on the cusp of graduating from UNLV and will be based in Southern Nevada. Samantha's resume includes work for UNLV's information technology department and an internship last summer with The Nevadan, home to several Indy alumni.

She comes to us through the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) Nevada chapter internship program, which has placed four interns at newsrooms in the state this summer thanks to a grant from Scripps Howard Fund. 

"As a Las Vegas native, The Nevada Independent was the most reliable and inspirational site that I looked up to as an upcoming journalist," Poblette said. "This internship has been a dream come true and the start of what is next to come in my career."

We also welcomed James Wolfgang Perez, who is heading into his senior year at UNR and is based in Northern Nevada. James was sports editor at The Nevada Sagebrush and has been selected as its executive editor, in addition to internships with KUNR Public Radio and Nevada Public Radio. 

He's joining us through the Report for America Local News Internship program, which has placed nine students into newsrooms nationwide this summer. You can read more about James and his journey in this "Faces of the Pack" feature by UNR.

"As a political reporter, The Nevada Independent is one of the most reputable sites that we have, so being able to intern and be a part of this team is a great honor, great privilege and I'm very excited for this opportunity," Perez said.

You'll see stories with bylines from Samantha and James well into August. 

We love being part of the development of the next generation of journalists and are especially grateful for programs organized by NAHJ Nevada and Report for America that ensure there's funding to support these invaluable learning opportunities.