June 03, 2022

VINCENNES, Ind. – Olivia Tucker’s favorite place is in a newsroom. She loves to write. And the Vincennes University Graphic Design major is doing a lot of it this summer. She is in the midst of a prestigious internship.

Tucker '22 is participating in the Eugene S. Pulliam Internship Program named in honor of the late publisher of The Indianapolis Star and The Indianapolis News. The Hoosier State Press Association sponsors the highly selective internship.

Communication Department Chair Emily Taylor is thrilled about the in-depth and hands-on professional experiences the paid internship is providing. 

"I am very proud of Olivia's accomplishments in being awarded a Pulliam internship,” Taylor said. “This is a very competitive program that provides students with real-work reporting experience in communities across the state. Olivia has been an asset to our VU student newspaper, The Trailblazer, and I look forward to seeing what she is able to accomplish through this internship."

For 10 weeks, Tucker is reporting on community events, government meetings, and other newsworthy topics for the Crothersville Times, located in her hometown of Scottsburg, Indiana.

“I’m enjoying my internship, and it has confirmed that this is something I want to do for the rest of my life,” she said.

As part of the internship, Tucker is being mentored by Mary Dieter, who was the press secretary and communications director for former Indiana governor Frank O’Bannon. Dieter also worked for the Louisville Journal-Courier.

“Having the support from the other interns and getting to know others who are in the same boat as me has been helpful through this time as well as having someone (Dieter) who has worked in the field for a number of years as a mentor is helpful too,” Tucker said.

Tucker is planning for a career in the newspaper industry when she graduates with an associate degree in Graphic Design Occupational - Photography Concentration later this year. She also earned an associate degree in Journalism from VU in 2021.

Tucker describes herself as a jack of all trades. She shoots photographs, possesses design skills, and writes columns, sports stories, and news. She has penned stories about beauty pageant queens, livestock shows, national championship sports teams, and many different topics.

“I said to Professor Taylor, “I think I was meant to be a journalist,” Tucker said. “And she says, “You know I can see that.” I kind of joked that maybe in my past life I might have been a journalist because being a journalist and being in the Trailblazer lab came easy to me.”

Following VU's NJCAA Division I men’s basketball championship in 2019, Tucker wrote the story that helped The Trailblazer, the University's student newspaper, win second place in the Indiana Collegiate Press Association Best Special Section/Cover contest.

“When I started my journalism degree, I wanted to get my hands on everything,” Tucker said. “Whether it’s a sports story, whether it’s an event, or whether it’s an opinion column. Anything campus needs to know. I wanted to get my hands in on it just because I knew anything I could get here that was hands on was going to help me, and this internship is the proof.”

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