Maelyn Schramm hadn’t expected to win the internship with the Dallas Morning News when she applied. But she had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Schramm walked into editors’ period that day, unaware that she was the new Dallas Morning News intern. Sponsor Terry Quinn was the one to tell her about her latest achievement.
“I didn’t think I would make it because it’s so competitive,” Schramm said. “It took me a minute to realize what Quinn had said.”
Schramm is the editorial editor for the Wildcat Tales. She was a staff writer her junior year and has been writing since she was a little girl.
“My family and parents have always encouraged me to write,” Schramm said. “It’s a good way for me to vent but it’s also just fun. I find it easier to put words on paper than to speak them.”
Newspaper has been an opportunity for Schramm to learn about different writing styles and how to turn writing into a career.
“I was already on yearbook in ninth grade,” Schramm said. “So I thought that newspaper would be a fun next step to take.”
At the time, she didn’t know it would become a passion which would lead her to experiences such as the Dallas Morning News internship or a future major in journalism at Baylor University.
“Writing is something I do because I like it and because I’m good at it,” Schramm said. “When I went to highschool, I saw that it was also something that I can make a living off of, while still following my passion.”
Schramm applied for newspaper with her friend and now fellow editor, Madison McDaniel.
“In doing newspaper together, our friendship strengthened and grew,” McDaniel said. “We bonded over our love of writing.”
Although this is her first internship with the nationally-read paper, Schramm has some experience with the Dallas Morning News already. She is a writer for the “Voices” column which the Dallas Morning News runs weekly.
Writers for the column come from varied backgrounds in the metroplex community. There are teachers, students, and other community members involved.
Schramm writes about once a month for the column. She thinks this was taken into consideration when she applied for the internship.
“They were able to see that I’m familiar with how they work and that I can meet deadlines outside of school,” Schramm said.
Schramm’s columns are pinned up in the newspaper room whenever she is published.
“I wrote a lot of columns about China for the Dallas Morning News,” Schramm said. “Going there and visiting was a really cool experience for me.”
Schramm’s writing has caught attention outside of the newspaper staff.
Senior Danielle Coffey has read the stories Schramm has had printed in the Wildcat Tales.
“I like that she adds a very conversational tone to her writing. It’s so similar to her personality,” Coffey said. “She’s very easy to chit chat with. She does a great job of not making her work stuffy.”
Schramm will get to experience a variety of cultures and art as she interns for the weekly entertainment guide in the Dallas Morning News. She will write about food, movies, art, concerts and theatre as part of her internship.
“I asked what exactly I would be doing as part of the internship,” Schramm said. “And they told me that it was a little bit of everything.”
In order to be considered for the internship, Schramm had to submit a letter of recommendation, an autobiography, a cover letter, a resume and some articles she had already written for the Wildcat Tales.
She hopes that the internship will help her prepare for journalism classes at Baylor.
“I’m going to get experience working in the real world,” Schramm said. “I’ll be out in the community, learning skills to make me better with interviews and every aspect of journalism.”
Schramm isn’t just known for her writing skills, though. Her peers commented on some of her other talents as well.
“She tells a really great whale joke,” senior and online editor-in-chief Diva Gulati said. “You should ask her about it.”
Or ask her to sing you a song.
“Maelyn writes all of her own songs and they’re incredible,” McDaniel said. “They’re deep and meaningful. Maelyn is a really genuine and sincere person.”
Schramm’s classmates are not surprised that she has reached this point in her young career.
“I know she has worked so incredibly hard,” Coffey said. “I think it’s incredibly cool for a kid our age to have work in a national newspaper.”
