High school summer interns have returned at the Spokesman-Review for 2026

The Teen Journalism Institute has made its return to The Spokesman-Review after a one-year hiatus.

Six high school interns have joined the newsroom for an eight-week journey as part of the only paid high school journalism internship in the nation. This  year’s class was funded by a special grant from Spokane Teachers Credit Union and by members of the First Amendment Club.

Not only do these high school students take part in an intensive learning process on what goes into running a daily print newspaper, they also will gain reporting skills and write a variety of articles.

With one returning and five new faces, this year’s group of interns will not be taking coffee orders or sweeping floors; they will spend their summer as valuable contributors to the second-largest newspaper in the Evergreen State.

Their first assignment: interview and write about one of their classmates.

Isla Hansen

Entering her senior year as a dual-enrollment student at Spokane Falls Community College and Spokane International Academy, Isla Hansen has a knack for compassion.

“At their core, people just want to be heard and recognized. If you have that basic need fulfilled, there’s so much you can do,” Hansen said. “Everyone has a responsibility to make that happen in a small way, by pausing and listening to the people around them and being aware of what others are going through.”

Hansen, 17, has been part of several philanthropic activities.

“My hope is that I can highlight community service initiatives that youth are pursuing in Spokane, because there’s a really strong drive here to bridge that gap for people who might not have the resources,” she said. “I hope I can help the people working behind the scenes feel recognized, and validate that their optimism is helping build the community, even if they don’t see the results right away.”

Hansen has previously volunteered with Compassion Scholars, an international leadership and travel program that served local refugee and immigrant parents, along with the Borgen Project, an advocacy-based nonprofit, where she interned in a journalist role. Hansen organized a climate action-centered resource fair for elementary and middle school students.

– Troy Slack

Cimarron Waldo

Cimarron “Cimmy” Waldo wants to learn as much as she can, involving herself in a wide variety of clubs, sports and activities.

The incoming senior at Lewis and Clark High School moved to Spokane from upstate New York three years ago and has thrown herself into every opportunity.

The 17-year-old runs on her school’s cross country team, competes in speech and debate and assists researchers in a biophysics lab at Gonzaga University.

Bragging rights aren’t what she’s seeking.

“I think it’s a super important thing to have, curiosity,” she said.

She plans to double major in science and English to help her develop skills including critical thinking and advocacy through English, and land her a successful STEM career.

She spends free time with her parents, specifically her mom, Jennifer, who is, as Waldo puts it, “like one of my best friends … I just love spending time with her.” The two of them garden and travel locally and internationally.

At The Spokesman-Review, she looks forward to writing about governmental structures and politics to gain a deeper understanding of the systems that impact us.

“It’s a super important part of our community, and I think there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes that we don’t really get to see much,” she said.

– Miller Coyne

Elizabeth Gallagher

Elizabeth Gallagher isn’t new to journalism.

Gallagher has worked on multiple projects at the Community School, combining interviews and research into articles. She covered subjects including teen caregiving and “local Indigenous struggles.”

She hopes to take her writing to a new level as one of The Spokesman-Review’s summer interns.

Gallagher usually reads the Sunday paper with her grandmother, Sandra, who told her about the internship.

“She texted me a picture of it, and I was like, ‘That’s fire,’ ” Gallagher said. “I wanted to be a journalist all throughout elementary and middle school.”

Gallagher has written several novel-length stories, as well as fan fiction and short stories. She also writes newspaper-style articles for herself. Now that she’s working for The Spokesman-Review, she’s excited to cover a variety of subjects. Gallagher said she would be particularly interested in looking into national parks, or the connection between drug abuse and mental health.

The other story she’d like to pursue: Willie Willey, the Spokane-area man who gained notoriety in the first half of the 20th century for wearing nothing but shorts. Gallagher has already searched The Spokesman-Review’s archives to look into the historical coverage of Willey.

Gallagher says she’s interested in the eccentric man because “he has aura. He has good vibes.”

Gallagher says this internship might be the perfect summer job. “I like talking to people and I like writing,” she said. “I was like, what’s the biggest connection between those? Journalism.”

– Benedikt Larson

Troy Slack

Understanding finances can be a challenge for many people.

Troy Slack wants to help.

A Ridgeline High School graduate from Liberty Lake, Slack will begin pursuing an accounting and finance major at the University of Washington in the fall. There, he plans to develop a free website for financial information.

“There are so many people that don’t … have financial literacy … because they never have the opportunity to learn,” he said.

Spokane has shaped Slack’s appreciation for community, and he looks forward to the identity Seattle offers.

“As I do have Asian heritage, it’s really cool to go into a place that is … present with a lot of Asian heritage and traditions and culture,” he said, adding that he believes Asian culture isn’t always fully represented in Spokane.

Outside of his work as an investment writer, Slack enjoys kayaking and playing the cello, a skill he has honed since age 7. He was inspired by his mother, Lin, a concert pianist.

“In music, there can be defining moments, but I feel all your effort and talent … builds up over time and with a lot repetitive, consistent hard work,” he said. In March, he performed as a solo cellist for the Spokane Symphony Orchestra.

A 2024 graduate of the Teen Journalism Institute, Slack returns to The Spokesman-Review to cover local policy. He said he believes opportunity shouldn’t be determined by “your connections … where you grew up, or how much money you have, but … your ability to … move yourself up in life with your own hard work.”

– Isla Hansen

Benedikt Larson

Benedikt Larson is an incoming junior at North Central High School, and he enjoys science, theater and Nordic (or cross-country) skiing.

He has been a volunteer coach at Mount Spokane the past three years, including this past season. Larson plans to continue to coach until college. While Larson doesn’t know what college he wants to attend he does know he wants to go to a four-year school.

Another one of his interests is theater. He’s part of Troop 8818, North Central’s thespian group. He’s competed in the Thespys East competition the past two years. He’s been graded excellent both times.

Benedikt’s biggest passion, however, is science. He loves discovering things. He has been participating in regional and state science fairs since 2023. His 2024-26 projects studied the effect of microplastic on a worm’s chemosensory system.

Larson has read The Spokesman-Review for years.

“I remember being 6 and just knowing about the election, thinking it was something I should know about,” said Larson, now 16.

– Elizabeth Gallagher

Miller Coyne

As the daughter of a librarian and an author, Miller Coyne has always been surrounded by books.

It’s no surprise, then, that Coyne, an incoming senior at Ferris High School, loves reading and writing. It was one of several reasons she applied for the Teen Journalism Institute.

“I thought that it would be just such a great opportunity to improve my writing,” she said.

One of her debate coaches, Dan Sjolund, also encouraged Coyne to apply. Coyne participated in a national speech and debate tournament in May, where she gave a speech on the importance of literacy.

“It was really cool to be able to hear so many other well-educated, interesting people share their perspectives of things that need to change in our world,” Coyne said.

When she’s not reading, writing, speaking or debating, Coyne enjoys spending time with family and friends. The 17-year-old has watched, and made fun of, ’90s movies with her parents, Justin and Amy, and two sisters, Wesley and Larsen. She often spends free time with friends.

This sense of community is also seen in her involvement with Ferris’ American Sign Language club. Coyne is entering her fourth year of studying ASL.

“Being able to provide communication for people makes me really happy,” she said.

She hopes that through this program, she can “learn in a broad variety of categories.”

“Mostly, I love learning,” she said.

– Cimarron Waldo