Three aspiring journalists will be working in area newsrooms this summer through the Delaware Community Foundation’s Journalism Internship Program, in an effort to increase local coverage, deepen the pipeline of journalists of color and elevate stories of underserved communities.

The program is a partnership between DCF, the Local Journalism Initiative and the Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association.

This year’s interns and their hosting newsrooms are:

• Kirit Minhas, BaytoBayNews/Delaware State News — Mr. Minhas is a Bear resident and sophomore at Georgetown University, majoring in English and double minoring in journalism and French. He also is a staff writer for the news division of the school’s paper, The Hoya. “I am so excited for the opportunity to work at Delaware State News this summer. As a lifelong Delaware resident, I am looking forward to learning more about the key issues facing Delawareans and reporting on those from the state’s capital,” he said.
• Kira Akins, WHYY Delaware bureau — Ms. Akins, also known as “Kira Savvy,” is a self-help podcaster and vlogger of Literally Just T.A.W.K.
• Donovan Aldridge, DelawareOnline/The News Journal — Mr. Aldridge, a recent graduate of the University of Delaware, was a journalist and photographer for the student newspaper, The Review. He is a resident of Wilmington.

The interns also will participate in educational programming and be mentored by Larry Nagengast, a journalist with nearly 50 years’ experience in Delaware news.

“Having a strong local news ecosystem is essential for our democracy and thriving communities,” said Allison Taylor Levine, DCF’s vice president for marketing and communications. “These aspiring journalists will learn from the very best in Delaware and help engage our communities, keep our government accountable and share important stories from diverse communities.”

Interns will begin work in June. Their stories will be available through the media outlets’ platforms and on the DCF website.