Chicago Public Media is excited to welcome our 2026 summer intern class to the newsroom. These seven rising journalists will contribute across the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ through early autumn, embedded in teams working in audio, engagement, photography, video and news.
Please join us in welcoming the class of 2026:
Annabelle Rivera, Audio News Intern
Annabelle Rivera joins WBEZ as an audio news intern. A 2025 graduate of DePaul University, she majored in journalism with a minor in international politics. She previously served as editor in chief of Pueblo, the bilingual Spanish-English sister publication of 14 East, the university’s magazine, as well as a digital journalist at Community Sentinel Media. She also spends her free time creating content on TikTok, where she covers local and trending Chicago-area topics.
Annabelle is looking forward to diving into audio this summer and learning more about the production that goes into a talk show. Outside of the studio, she hopes to perfect her at-home coffee, explore neighborhoods in the city and spend more time outside.
Alina Edwards, Engaged Journalism Intern
Alina Edwards joins WBEZ as an engaged journalism intern. She is a 2025 graduate of Wellesley College, where she majored in English and minored in cinema and media studies. She previously interned with NPR on the Culture Desk and NPR Music, and with WETA and NewsHour Productions on the communications team.
Alina is excited to work with the team and contribute to journalism that builds meaningful connections between people. In her free time, she enjoys visiting libraries and watching movies, and she hopes to spend some time at the beach this summer.
Elijah James, News Desk Intern
Elijah James joins the Sun-Times as a news desk intern. A senior at the University of Missouri, he’s majoring in journalism with an emphasis in cross-platform editing and producing, and will complete a minor in Black studies. He previously interned at the Chicago Defender as a sports journalism intern and worked at KOMU 8, covering local and collegiate sports across print, broadcast and social media. Elijah also serves as president of Eta Gamma chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
Elijah is passionate about telling local stories and amplifying community voices, and hopes to use his summer to make a tangible impact. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with friends and watching movies, and hopes to catch a White Sox game this season.
Hunter Minné, Talk Shows Intern
Hunter Minné joins WBEZ as a talk show intern. A recent graduate of Loyola University Chicago, he majored in multimedia journalism and minored in political science. Previously, he served as deputy news editor for The Loyola Phoenix, the university’s paper, and also brings experience from the Irish American News.
Hunter is passionate about how journalism contributes to society and hopes to spend the summer learning the ins and outs of audio production. Off the clock, you can catch him thrifting, practicing his sewing skills and biking.
Jeremy Battle, Photo Desk Intern
Jeremy Battle joins the Chicago Sun-Times as a photojournalism intern. A recent graduate of DePaul University, he majored in journalism and minored in photography and media studies. He most recently interned at Block Club Chicago, where he was the organization’s first photojournalism intern, and served as director of multimedia and photography for The DePaulia, the university’s student newspaper.
For Jeremy, the best part of photography is becoming embedded in the communities he shoots. Rarely without his camera, he spends his free time on photo walks and at the movies, and looks forward to shooting across the city this summer.
Jinny Kim, Talk Shows Intern
Jinny Kim joins WBEZ as a talk show intern. A recent graduate from the University of Chicago with her master’s in computational analysis and public policy, she brings experience from the Chicago Maroon, the university paper, as a data reporter and editor, as well as fellowship and internship experience at the Local Data Journalism Initiative and South Side Weekly.
Jinny is eager to explore audio as a way to bring stories to life and looks forward to learning how a newsroom collaborates while supporting the team this summer. In her downtime, she enjoys printmaking, Korean food and watching dystopian TV.
Kieran Stover, Vertical Video Intern
Kieran Stover joins the Sun-Times as a vertical video intern. A senior at DePaul University, he’s majoring in film and television with a concentration in documentary production and a minor in journalism. He’s the director of multimedia at the university’s newspaper, The DePaulia, and brings previous experience as a production intern at Truth and Documentary and an audio and visual intern at the Illinois Green Alliance.
Kieran is excited to explore new video formats within a newsroom environment this summer and to gain experience in public media. When he’s not in the office, you can find him running on the Lakefront Trail, biking or hiking.