By DAVE AMMENHEUSER
Assistant Managing Editor/Sports
Riverside (Calif.) Press-Enterprise

Story posted on Aug. 21, 2009

Shemar Woods

Shemar Woods may not have believed me when we first spoke last winter.

"You'll get a taste of everything in your internship," I told the Hampton University student on the phone. "You'll have an opportunity to cover everything that Southern California has to offer."

Woods received one of two 2009 summer Scripps Howard Foundation internships and scholarships. He was assigned a 10-week internship with the Press-Enterprise, a 160,000 daily in Inland Southern California.

Following a three-day drive across the country, Woods arrived in Riverside, Calif., on June 5.

He left yesterday, Aug. 18.

We miss him already.

While with the Press-Enterprise, Wood wrote more than 45 stories over 11 weeks. Sure, he initially was assigned the typical intern grunt work. On his first day, he was charged with gathering historical information for a Lakers special section.

A few days later, he was helping with our coverage of the NBA Finals. That was the beginning of a extraordinary summer.

Shemar wrote features and game stories on the Lakers. And the Angels. And USC football. And UCLA football. And the Chargers. And Little League regionals.

He constantly asked for feedback, he constantly asked for more assignments.

His enthusiasm helped revive my hope for our craft.

He also a great roommate. My wife and two children welcomed him into our homes. Although the Scripps Howard Foundation and the Press-Enterprise gave him a stipend for his work with us, I didn't want to see him use a majority of it on a short-term apartment.

So, he stayed with us. He played Wii with my kids; he beat me in basketball.

"This internship was better than anything I could have ever imagined," Woods told me during his exit interview. "Personally and professionally, I have grown so much."

He returns to Hampton for his junior year in September. At Hampton, he'll be the play-by-play voice for the Pirates on the campus radio station. He'll also serve as the sports editor of the campus newspaper.

Over the two months, we built a bond and a mentorship that we agree will last the rest of our lives.

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