Award Winner, Interns Gain Work Experience In Times Newsroom

Hillary Rodham Clinton was the main attraction, but Gautam Venkatesan of Bothell High School stole the moment at a recent luncheon of Mothers against Violence in America (MAVIA).

Gautam was one of three area students presented with the organization's Youth Peacemaker Awards by Seattle Times publisher Frank Blethen. The graduating senior came to the stage, and as he shook Frank's hand he said something to the publisher.

Laughing, and obviously somewhat taken aback, Frank turned to the microphone and said, "He just asked me for a summer job."

As it unfolded on stage, the "job interview" seemed carefully plotted. Gautam insists it was more instinct than stratagem. "There's no way I would have enough courage to do it if I had thought about it beforehand. I was pretty nervous in front of 1,100 people."

It didn't show, especially when he had the presence of mind to close the deal. As the audience's approving roar died down, Gautam again said something to the publisher. Frank again turned to the microphone and said, "He says he'll take that as a "yes.' "

So it was. The honors student is spending his summer working in The Times' newsroom.

This is the first year MAVIA has presented the Youth Peacemaker Awards to recognize area students whose work has promoted harmony among their peers. In addition to Gautam, award winners were Cecelia Perez, a student of the Orca program at Columbia Elementary School, and Armando Martinez, a student at Madison Middle School.

Gautam's achievement included serving on the Bothell Against Discrimination coalition after a cross-burning incident in 1991.Later, he served on the Northshore School District Equity Committee.

He was the executive director of his school's diversity program, and this year he won the school's Martin Luther King Award, as well as serving as student-body president.

Along the way he wrote a course that challenges students to express their frustrations and thoughts on diversity issues through writing, art, public speaking or other talents rather than violence. He's working on a book along the same lines.

The scope of Gautam's summer work at The Times may be limited, but the range of his curiosity is at least as big as the newsroom.

When I went to find him to talk about this column, he was peppering sports columnist Steve Kelley with questions. Steve is busy getting ready for the Olympic Games in Atlanta but was obviously enjoying the conversation.

Gautam's assignment is gathering information for a database that will be published on the Internet. He hopes that before heading off to Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire at the end of summer he can "slip a couple of articles" into the newspaper .

I'd say that's a safe bet. I might even turn over this column to him one week to let him give you a different view from Inside The Times.

Their path to summer work at The Times may not have been as public as Gautam Venkatesan's, but a talented group of young journalists has joined The Times as interns. Here they are:

Stefanie Lee Boyar, photographer, is near finishing undergraduate studies at Western Kentucky University, majoring in photojournalism with a minor in folk studies. She has worked for the Muskegon Chronicle and the Quad City Times in Davenport, Iowa. In 1995, she received the Western Kentucky University photographer-of-the-year award and a scholarship award from the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA).

Lori Brooks, copy editor, is finishing a BA in print journalism at the University of Oklahoma. She has worked several positions at the university's Oklahoma Daily and was working as night editor during the Oklahoma City bombing. In 1995, she won third place in the College Media Advisers national story-of-the-year competition. Lori will be editor of The Daily in the fall.

Sheryl Cababa, graphic artist, just graduated from Syracuse University with a major in magazine journalism and political science. She has worked at Equal Times Magazine, the Syracuse New Times, Mensajero Madrid, Milwaukee's City Edition and on the convention newspaper of the Asian American Journalists Association.

William Dauber, reporter, has a BA from the University of California at Irvine and is in the journalism master's program at U.C. Berkeley. His work experience includes reporting at The Berkeley Voice, Orange County Register, the Los Angeles Times, The Whittier Daily News and La Voz Mestiza. For the past seven years, Bill has taught English and math to immigrant children and adults.

Norman Green, reporter, has a BA from Oberlin, a master's in bilingual education from New York University and a master's in journalism from Columbia. He taught in New York public schools for 15 years. He has worked at New York Magazine, The Soho News, New York Newsday and The Daily News Magazine. In 1980 he was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for his Soho News cover story on heroin use among upwardly mobile young people.

H. Fields Grenee, reporter, has a BA in psychology and anthropology from the University of Iowa and work experience at the Palm Beach Post, Chicago Sun-Times, Topeka Capital-Journal, Chicago Defender and the Cedar Rapids Gazette. She was awarded a 1994 Excellence Award by the National Association of Black Journalists.

Lisa Pemberton-Butler, reporter, has an AA from Green River Community College in law enforcement and a BA in journalism and sociology from Central Washington University. She has been a staff writer at the Ellensburg Daily Record and news editor of The Observer at Central.

Meryl Schenker, photographer, is working on her master's degree in telecommunications at Ohio University. She has worked for the Evansville Courier in Indiana and the San Jose Mercury News. She recently won a second-place award in the NPPA Pictures of the Year competition.

Ruth Schubert, reporter, has a BA in literature from Yale and a master's in journalism from Columbia. She spent her junior year at New York University in France/University of Paris III. Ruth has worked at The New York Times, The Modesto Bee and The Bronx Beat.

Elizabeth Szabo, business reporter, is working on her Ph.D. at the University of Virginia. She received her MA and BA from the university and also teaches there. She has worked at the Fairfax Journal, States News Service and Gannett News Service.

Stephanie Thomson, reporter, has a BA in journalism with a political-science minor from Western Washington University, where she was a member of Phi Kappa Phi/National Honors Society. She has worked at The Columbian in Vancouver and was editor of Western's student magazine, Klipsun.

Kyle R. Wood, reporter, has a BA in journalism with a political-science minor from the University of Montana. He has worked at the Great Falls Tribune, Rapid City Journal, Montana Magazine and Miles City Star and held several positions at the Montana Kaimin, the university's student newspaper.

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