1. College of Letters & Science
Department of Journalism, Advertising, and Media Studies
February 24, 2015
Dear media professional:
As the internship coordinator at UW-Milwaukee’s journalism department and a senior lecturer
specializing in multimedia news reporting, I am strongly recommending Sean Cornell for an internship
with your organization. Sean stands out among my students because of his initiative and motivation.
He’s already risen to an editing position at the UWM Post, which is the independent student newspaper.
I frequently read his work, and I find it to be thorough, accurate, timely, and written well. Sean is one of
the hardest working students I know. He pays his dues and then some. He cares passionately about the
craft of journalism. He is innovative but also skilled in the core principles of news reporting and writing.
In my multi-media reporting course this semester, Sean again gains attention because of his
determination. He comes up with great story ideas on his own and is always willing to go the extra mile.
He is constantly writing and reporting stories on campus and developing his skill set. Through class, he
is writing for Media Milwaukee, our award-winning department news site. In class, he is learning the
principles of open records and meetings laws, interviewing, how to cover a meeting, feature writing, and
other core skills. However, he is also trained in innovative technologies such as computer-assisted
reporting (Excel, Access), audio editing, mobile video journalism, photojournalism, and html. Sean
blends the traditional skills with the new. He is a very well-rounded student journalist. He writes well on
deadline. He is constantly multi-tasking and performing at a very high level at anything he tackles.
I believe that Sean Cornell would be an asset to your organization. He is trained in the skills needed to
thrive in a changing media environment. However, the things that make him stand out to me most would
be his motivation and passion for journalism. These are inspiring attributes to see. Sean is also a very
strong writer. If you need anything else, please don’t hesitate to contact me at 262-510-1349 or
mcbridej@uwm.edu.
Thank you,
Jessica McBride
Senior lecturer/Internship and Scholarship Coordinator
Journalism, Advertising, and Media Studies Department
UW-Milwaukee
JohnstonHall
PO Box 413
Milwaukee, WI
53201-0413
414 229-4436 phone
414 229-2411 fax
www.jams.uwm.edu
jams-email@uwm.edu
www4.uwm.edu/letsci/j
mc/
