Serving Barnwell County and its neighbors since 1852
A Missouri college student has joined The People-Sentinel staff for the summer.
Kendall Warren, a rising junior at Missouri Western State University in Saint Joseph, Missouri, was selected for an 8-week summer internship at The People-Sentinel. The internship is partially funded by the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors.
“We are excited to have Kendall join our team for the summer. She will help our team expand local news coverage while growing digital opportunities, such as Facebook Reels,” said publisher/owner Jonathan Vickery.
Warren, a native of Kansas City, Missouri, said she was interested in the internship because it’s an opportunity to gain new skills through hands-on experience in a real newsroom. It’s also a chance to experience a new community.
“Since the paper is very print-focused, and I love print journalism, I wanted to see what working in that environment is like outside of a school setting. Barnwell County is also much smaller than where I'm from, so I thought it would be interesting to experience what it's like covering news in a small-town community,” said Warren, who started on June 1.
She hopes the internship in a professional newsroom will improve her skills across all areas of journalism, including reporting, design, social media, and storytelling. “I also want to better understand how a small local newspaper operates and serves its community. I hope to take what I learn back to the newsroom at my school and use those experiences, ideas, and new skills to make positive changes to our student media,” she said.
As she starts her first week at The People-Sentinel, Warren said she looks forward to getting to know the community and the people here as she works to tell stories that matter.
“As I work in Barnwell County this summer, I’m excited to get to know the community and tell the stories of the people who live here. My goal is to learn and share stories that matter. Even though I’m new to the area, I hope to build connections and provide coverage that people find useful,” said Warren.
Her love for journalism was sparked in high school when she took an introduction to journalism class. She also was part of the school’s yearbook staff and served as editor-in-chief for two years. That experience solidified her desire to pursue a degree in journalism.
“My goal as a journalist is to keep the community informed about what's happening around them. I also want to make a positive impact in the communities I cover by telling stories and helping people stay connected to the issues and events that affect their daily lives,” she said.
She is majoring in Applied Communications and Journalism with a minor in Digital Media. At Missouri Western, Warren is editor-in-chief of Griffon Media, the college’s student-led media organization.
