Stephanie M. Peters - Summer 2007

Click on photo to enlarge or download: Stehanie M. PetersAs I was growing up, journalism was a career path that rarely crossed my mind, though to those around me it might have been quite obvious.

I read newspapers cover to cover, possessed an insatiable curiosity and even thought Court TV and MSNBC were normal fodder for 10-year-olds. And of course I loved to write.

It took a couple of teachers at my high school in Plainville, Conn., to open my eyes to the possibility, but when it came time to enroll in college I did so as a journalism and English major at Northeastern University in Boston.

There, I spent three years on the staff of the Northeastern News student newspaper as a news, features and beat reporter and section editor. Northeastern's co-op program allows students to alternate semesters in the classroom with six-month periods of work experience. It has provided me the opportunity to work at the news desk of The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, Mass., helping out on its coverage of local news, and at the city desk of The Boston Globe, where I mastered the art of the feature obituary and continue to work part time when I'm at school.

Last semester, I studied in Perugia, Italy, and traveled around Europe when I could. From that experience, I've gained a more global perspective on how the United States is viewed and heightened my curiosity about American politics. Coincidentally, here I am in Washington this summer - the perfect environment in which to satiate this interest, and I'm excited by the opportunity to work for the Scripps Howard Foundation Wire.

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Reach Stephanie M. Peters at shws3@shns.com or (202) 326-9861.