Santana, a senior mass communication major, was selected for the 鈥檚 Summer Internship Program. The Arkansas Newspaper Foundation supports Arkansas newspapers by helping fund summer interns at Arkansas Press Association member newspapers across the state. The paid internship is designed to help aspiring college-age journalists get started in their newspaper careers.

鈥淎s an aspiring journalist who wants to become a reporter, I am glad I got experience in every field of journalism,鈥� Santana said. 鈥淲orking for my hometown newspaper helped me figure out how to find local news. It taught me the rules of journalism and helped me build my resume.鈥�

During the fall semester, Santana completed an internship at KATV and credits landing the internship to the experience he received at the Dumas Clarion.

Santana鈥檚 internship was specially sponsored by donations from the Arkansas Press Women, the Dumas Chamber of Commerce, Dumas Economic Development, and Merchants & Farmers Bank of Dumas in memory of Charlotte Tillar Schexnayder. Melvin and Charlotte Schexnayder owned and published The Dumas Clarion for 44 years. Schexnayder, who passed away in 2020, was one of the first members and a former president of Arkansas Press Women and the first female president of the Dumas Chamber of Commerce, among many other honors, making her a powerful role model for future journalists in Arkansas.

Over the summer, Santana worked with Dumas Clarion Publisher Linna Jones and covered city meetings and events. He cites his favorite stories of the summer as those involving his high school classmates. He wrote a feature story about Maria Lopez, who has returned to Dumas to become the parent center coordinator and middle school band director, as well as an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony for a new business, Raye Haven Salon that is located at the site of a once vacant Bumper to Bumper shop.

鈥淭his summer I felt like an official reporter,鈥� Santana said. 鈥淚 had more responsibility and learned time management skills. This internship has already helped my career and will continue to do so in the future.鈥�

At 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, Santana also serves as a reporter for the student newspaper, the Forum, as well as co-vice president and social media chair for the Hispanic/Latinx Initiative, all while running his part-time photography business. He will graduate in May with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in mass communication with a concentration in journalism.

For other students who are considering completing a summer newspaper internship, Santana advised them to take chances and ask plenty of questions.

鈥淧ut yourself out there and don鈥檛 be scared to make mistakes because you will learn from them,鈥� Santana said. 鈥淚n this industry, you have to network. For students who are taking an internship, don鈥檛 just ask questions. Make sure that you make an impression.鈥�

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The Silver Circle recognizes television professionals who have served the industry with distinction for 25 years or more. The nominated individual’s contributions can be in service to the industry, to NATAS, to the community, or to people training for a career in the field. Nominees are accepted from performing, creative, technical, or administrative roles within the industry or from areas directly related to television such as commercial productions, journalism, and education.

Barnes began her broadcast journalism career while still in college at a small radio station in Russellville, Arkansas 鈥� KARV, the voice of the Arkansas River Valley 鈥� first as a reporter and then as news director. From there she moved to covering the entire state as a reporter, anchor, and producer for KATV- Channel 7 and as a producer, assignment editor and assistant news director for KARK-Channel 4.

During her tenure at KATV and KARK, Barnes wrote, produced, and supervised newscasts and documentaries that won a variety of Associated Press, Radio and Television News Director Association, regional Emmy, and United Press International awards. Barnes joined the Arkansas Educational Television Network as operations manager and public affairs producer for Arkansas Week and other network public affairs programming.  She served as a consultant and editorial advisor to a KARK teen pregnancy documentary which won a George Foster Peabody award, a regional Emmy, and an Edward R. Murrow Award.

After more than 20 years as a broadcast journalist, Barnes moved to the public relations profession first as public relations director at Arkansas Children鈥檚 Hospital, then as executive director of communications at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. She received her master鈥檚 degree in journalism from 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock in 1998 and joined the faculty at the School of Mass Communication in 2006.  She retired from full-time teaching, earning emeritus status in 2020, yet still takes the time to teach a class each semester.

Along with her extensive broadcast background, Barnes is an accredited public relations professional who has served on the executive board of the Arkansas Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America for more than seven years. She became chapter president in 2003, and later served as chair for the Southwest District of PRSA representing more than 2,000 members in six states, was a member of the PRSA National Nominating Committee, a national assembly delegate for six sessions, and chaired the PRSA National Research Task Force.

She is also the co-author of 鈥淧ublic Relations Ethics: Senior PR Pros Tell Us How to Speak Up and Keep Your Job,鈥� along with Marlene Neill.

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