Patrick Henry College is known for its internships. One of our journalism students, Heather Terwilliger, scored an internship with USA TODAY. That is huge in itself, a plum opportunity and getting it was a great accomplishment for Heather. But her accomplishments on the job were so great that the paper started publishing her stories! With a byline! That almost never happens with an intern. Instead of making her fetch coffee and do the filing, the editors had her write feature stories that were being read by their 3 million readers. That’s impressive and a tribute to Heather and to her college that gave her such a good education and that boasts such gifted students. I was actually planning to blog about that, but then Heather outdid herself.
Because of her homeschool connections, Heather knew about the California court ruling and its significance in banning homeschooling before anyone else in her vast newsroom. She pitched the story to her editors. Drawing on her contacts, she wrote with staff reporter Greg Toppo the story, scooping everyone else. (You will notice some details that did not show up anywhere else.)
But this is the killer: HEATHER TERWILLIGER IS ONE OF THOSE HOMESCHOOLED KIDS FROM CALIFORNIA that the court thinks are so educationally disadvantaged!
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