Catching up with Diana Dombrowski
A chat about Diana Dombrowski’s experience as an O’Brien intern
By Rachel Ryan
“My favorite part of being a journalist is being someone who can give people a voice, especially when no one else is listening.”
We caught up with former Marquette graduate student and O’Brien reporting intern Diana Dombrowski to reflect on her O’Brien journey and see where she is now.
While at O’Brien, Diana worked with Virginian-Pilot reporter Gary Harki on his project about the treatment of mentally ill prisoners. She also traveled to Virginia where she told the story of Virginia’s first transgender legislator. Diana went to work as a reporter at the Sheboygan Press for the USA Today Network-Wisconsin, and now covers Yonkers, NY, for The Journal News and lohud.com, a Gannett media outlet serving the New York counties of Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam, a region known as the Lower Hudson Valley.
How did the O’Brien internship help you personally or professionally as an aspiring journalist?
Diana: The program helped me quickly understand what being a working reporter would be like. Working alongside an experienced journalist, I got a lot of guidance on my reporting and writing and plenty of opportunities to dive into the project and explore different parts of it I was most interested in. I also got a great mentor and friend out of it. I still talk to my O’Brien fellow, Gary Harki, all the time and we still keep our team’s group chat alive. O’Brien guided me into a career as a reporter.
Do you have a favorite memory from your time at O’Brien? If so, please describe.
Diana: I have a lot of favorite memories of O’Brien from goofing around with our team to working on the actual project. Seeing the (jail death) database we created come together was gratifying. Our trip to Virginia with our fellow and getting to see his newsroom was also a lot of fun. I got to interview Danica Roem, the first openly transgender person elected to Virginia’s general assembly and we toured a jail and mental health facility. Some of my favorite memories are just hanging out with our team and eating hummus in our fellow’s office.
What would you tell other graduate students about the O’Brien reporting internship?
Diana: I’d tell grad students they should give O’Brien a shot — especially if they’re interested in working in the media — because it will only present more opportunities, give them a chance to meet a lot of professionals in the industry and let them play a significant role in a project that could make real change. Particularly as grad students, you have another set of skills that are important for projects like these and being part of the program will certainly give you valuable experience you can carry with you in your career.
What is your favorite part of being a journalist?
Diana: My favorite part of being a journalist is being someone who can give people a voice, especially when no one else is listening. I also enjoy talking to so many different people and writing about such a wide variety of things. I love that being a journalist means you’re constantly learning.
Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
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