By PHIL KAPLAN
Sports Editor
Knoxville (Tenn.) News Sentinel

Story posted on Jan. 16, 2009

Woods

Wright

Hampton University students Shemar Woods and Aaron Wright are the initial recipients of an internship awarded through The Associated Press Sports Editors and the Scripps Howard Foundation.

Woods and Wright will receive $3,000 stipends for the internship to take place this summer. Both will earn a $1,000 scholarship upon successful completion of the internship.

Woods, a sophomore from Paris, Va., will do his internship at the Press-Enterprise in Riverside, Calif.

The Press-Enterprise has a daily circulation of 175,000. The newspaper covers more than 100 local high school and nine colleges with extended coverage at PE.com HSGameTime.com. Sports has traveling staff beat writers with the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Anaheim Angels, San Diego Chargers, UCLA and Southern California.

Wright, a senior from Spartanburg, S.C., who is scheduled to graduate in May, will do his internship at The Baltimore Sun.

The Baltimore Sun has a circulation of 219,000 daily and 351,000 on Sunday. Major beats include the Baltimore Ravens, Baltimore Orioles, University of Maryland and high school. The sports department also focuses on enterprise and doing stories and enterprise for the front page of the newspaper as well as breaking news at BaltimoreSun.com.

Woods is the sports editor of The Hampton Script and the sports director of WHOV. Last summer he did an internship at WCHB radio in Detroit with columnist Rob Parker.

He is majoring in print journalism, although that wasn't the plan at first.

"I arrived at Hampton University uncertain about my course of studies or major – initially thinking sports marketing," said Woods. "Since being on campus, Hampton has afforded tremendous opportunities to explore various career paths. I had high hopes of playing football or basketball at the collegiate level but no scholarships were forthcoming when I graduated high school. When that door closed another talent emerged. I realized my passion for writing and recognized that talent allows continued involvement and participation with sports.

"Volunteering to write was the best decision I made because many doors opened for me. Those doors led me in the direction of the broadcast field. I began working for the school's radio station as a sideline reporter and worked my way up to the play-by-play announcer for Hampton women's team by the end of the season."

Wright is studying broadcast journalism and has completed internships at WTKR television in Norfolk, Va., Shopper News in Knoxville, Tenn., News Sentinel in Knoxville and Scripps Networks in Knoxville.

"While at Hampton University I have developed a true passion for journalism and have been given the opportunity to work at some outstanding media outlets," said Wright. "In addition to interning at some outstanding places during my college tenure I have worked as a lifeguard, landscaper, and bartender while in college. My mom is my biggest inspiration. She taught me the importance of persevering and seizing opportunity."

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