Meet SFR’s Summer Interns

Two local college students join the newsroom this summer, while a former intern transitions into a new role.

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Albuquerque native Lauren Lifke, a University of New Mexico senior who works for the campus’ newspaper The Daily Lobo as a news editor and writer, joins the Santa Fe Reporter as an editorial intern this summer through The New Mexico Local News Fellowship and Internship Program.

Lifke previously worked briefly for the Albuquerque Journal during the last school year, and also completed an internship with the Rio Rancho Observer last summer. Earlier this year, Lifke was named as one of just 12 members to the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) 2024 Student Project Team, and will be attending a NAHJ conference in Los Angeles, where she will receive mentorship from journalists across the country, she says. During her time at SFR, Lifke says she’s looking forward to covering a new area.

“I have a lot of experience in the Albuquerque metro area, so I’m excited to learn more about Santa Fe. The culture of it feels a lot different than Albuquerque,” Lifke says. “Also the Reporter is kind of different from the other publications I’ve worked for—it’s more alternative—so I’m ready to get more into culture writing as well.”

Santa Fe Community College student Charlie McCarty, who moved to Santa Fe from Los Angeles in 2019, is interning this summer in the design and production department. McCarty previously worked as an actor and a personal fitness trainer in LA before coming to Santa Fe. She decided to study digital drawing at SFCC in order to illustrate children’s books that she writes. She tells SFR the new opportunity allows her to grow and focus on her passion for drawing.

“I didn’t know that it would turn into a career, but I didn’t want to go back into fitness,” McCarty says. “It’s exciting to do something that’s always been a hobby that I’ve loved instead of my other hobby and passion of working out.”

Finally, Adam Ferguson, who originally hails from Vermont, recently completed an editorial internship with SFR through the school’s Creative Writing program, and has been hired as its new calendar editor, and will continue contributing to the paper as a freelance writer and photographer. Ferguson recently played a large role in SFR’s 2024 Restaurant Guide, photographing all the images for the chef profiles, and co-curating the issue’s restaurant directory. He moved to Santa Fe in 2019 from California and most recently worked as a teacher at the Desert Montessori School.

“I’m excited to learn as much as I can about journalism, editing and writing,” Ferguson says. “I’m ready to meet new people in the community as well and just work alongside this amazing team.”