New interns

Three interns are working with Big Local News this summer, helping us in our mission to make data and accountability journalism more accessible to all local journalists.

We’re excited to work with these bright Stanford University students. Learn more about them and their work this summer below!

“Every summer, we bring in a few key interns who help us level up and think about our journalistic challenges in new ways,” said Cheryl Phillips, founder and co-director of Big Local News and Hearst Professional in Residence in the Stanford journalism program. The students this summer are working on everything from managing policing records to conducting sophisticated analysis of various federal datasets, and local newsrooms will benefit!”

Nicole Nguyen

Nicole Nguyen is a member of Stanford University’s Class of 2027, majoring in Symbolic Systems with a concentration in Media and Communication. A community college graduate and transfer student, she earned an Associate’s degree in Sociology and Certificates of Achievement in Sociology and Humanities from Foothill College prior to attending Stanford. Her interests lie in the ways we create, interpret, and interact with information, whether through language, technology, or social systems.

At Big Local News, she works with the California Reporting Project and CLEAN to support the largest police accountability project in California, helping to build and maintain a public database of law enforcement records.

Zahid Jelani

Zahid Jelani is a rising sophomore double-majoring in Sociology and Computer Science at Stanford University.

Under the mentorship of Big Local News data journalist Rosie Cima, Zahid is investigating recent federal funding cuts to the Indian Health Service (IHS) and measuring their impacts on IHS health facilities and American Indian/Alaska Native communities this summer. He loves thrifting, crochet, volleyball, going to the beach (every week so far), messing around on GarageBand, and spending time with friends!

Casey Chen

Casey Chen is a rising junior at Stanford University majoring in Symbolic Systems. This summer, he is working with Big Local News to analyze international trade data and develop tools that help newsrooms surface underreported stories. Beyond data journalism, Casey loves exploring all the different classes Stanford has to offer, ranging from history, biology, philosophy, or computer science.