Peter Gzowski CBC Radio Interns
2020: Christelle Tessono
2019: Gretel Kahn
2018: Jennifer Yoon
2017: Kateryna Gordiychuk
2016: Cecilia MacArthur
2015: Melissa Fundira
2014: Sophie Blais
2013: Emily Murphy
2012: Kallee Lins
2011: Dana Holtby
2010: Claire Caldwell
2009: Hayley Lapalme
2008: Eva Boodman
2007: David Matthews
2006: Zhaleh Afshar
2005: Amy Wong
2004: Althia Raj
2003: Lindsay Michael
Christelle Tessono - 2020 Peter Gzowski Intern
Christelle recently finished her undergraduate studies at McGill University, where she majored in Political Science and minored in History. Extremely committed to community work, during her time at McGill, she served as the President of the Black Students’ Network (2018-2019) and served as the Pedagogy & Development Coordinator at the Office of the Dean of Students (2018-2020), where she developed a workshop series on topics related to anti-racism and sexual violence. Christelle is grateful for this incredible opportunity to be a Gzowski intern.
Gretel Kahn - 2019 Peter Gzowski Intern
Gretel is graduating from McGill with an honours degree in international development and minors in history and gender, sexuality, and feminist studies. While at McGill, she was involved in a variety of different extra-curricular activities, such as the McGill International Review where her interest in journalism emerged. Hailing from Panama, her interests include Latin America, politics, culture, and gender and social justice issues. Gretel is incredibly grateful to be selected as the Gzowski intern and to have the opportunity to gain some first-hand experience in journalism.
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"After graduating from McGill, I had no idea what I wanted to do but the CBC Peter Gzowski Internship allowed me to have a glimpse of what a career in journalism would look like. I spent the summer working with the best journalists in the city researching stories for radio, interviewing guests and writing web articles. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to try their hands at journalism.” Read more.
Jennifer Yoon - 2018 Peter Gzowski Intern
Jennifer is graduating from McGill with a joint honours degree in political science and history. At McGill, Jennifer became passionate about student journalism and publishing, becoming involved with The Bull & Bear and The Prognosis, where she served as Executive Editor. Her interests include North Korea, health, and social policy, and democratic political theory. Jennifer is grateful for this incredible opportunity to be a Gzowski intern, and thrilled to dive into the exciting world of public broadcasting.
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"The CBC Radio Gzowski internship is an exceptional opportunity to try your hand at journalism. Not only did I get a chance to be mentored by some of the most experienced and skilled journalists in Montreal, I also got a chance to build my portfolio and create radio segments and web articles for the CBC. The Gzowski Internship is an incredible way to begin a career in journalism."
Kateryna Gordiychuk - 2017 Peter Gzowski Intern
Kateryna finished her multidisciplinary social sciences journey at McGill with a goal to put her major in sociology and minors in linguistics and anthropology into practice. While at university, she was a part of CKUT Radio’s Off the Hour news program and The McGill Daily Culture section, which inspired her to continue using media in empowering diverse voices. Originally from Ukraine, Kateryna combines her passion for radio and writing with involvement in Ukrainian issues. It is her honour to continue building her path as a journalist through a unique Peter Gzowski internship opportunity.
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My name is Kateryna Gordiychuk and I completed my Bachelor of Arts in 2017 with a major in sociology and minors in linguistics and anthropology. I would immensely like to thank the CBC team for this incredible summer experience. I couldn’t have gotten a better jump start to my journalism career. For a long time, I have been interested in telling stories in ways that would open people’s eyes to new perspectives of the world, original ideas, and diverse communities. My involvement in seven teams at CBC, and four months of very variable experiences, has brought exactly that.
When studying sociological theory, criminology, and ethnographic research I always sought to dig deeper into my journalistic endeavours. It’s for that reason that I found my degree useful for writing scripts, occasionally editing raw sound, finding guests, researching, and looking for stories at CBC radio, web, and television.
The different teams at CBC gave me a great opportunity to learn from them – they patiently answered my questions and were open to my suggestions. My Daybreak and Homerun show supervisors allowed me to go outside of the boundaries and use creativity in research and daily news pitching. Web editors were open to my contribution to the web desk. The cultural section gave me a chance to produce the whole episode of Cinq à Six and went through the successes and flaws with me afterwards.
One of the challenges that I faced was the extremely fast-paced environment of the newsroom that I had not previously been in. As a student, I had much more time to reflect on a reading, a paper, or a research project. But during the chase of a daily show, that task turned out to be, initially, insurmountable. It took me time and skill to learn to deliver quality work under tight deadlines.
Some of the highlights of my internship was a privilege to work on weekly shows like Cinq à Six, All in a Weekend, and to help reporters in the newsroom. In particular, working with Nantali Indongo was really inspiring. She was one of the only people that sat down with me and explained what the show was actually about and why it’s important to develop a deeper connection with guests to create a quality program. I always found her insights on the diversity of Canadian music and culture very important and educational.
It was also wonderful to be at the station for four months as it helped me to learn about the different shows and contribute to teams that short-term interns didn’t know about. I greatly appreciated the rotating element of the internship and the way that Alison Cook approached this internship.
I am grateful to all the editors, researchers, hosts, and all the other staff for their invaluable support.
Cecilia MacArthur - 2016 Peter Gzowski Intern
Cecilia graduated from McGill with an honors degree in political science and minors in women’s studies and Middle Eastern languages. Passionate about social justice, politics, and radio, Cecilia has combined these interests at CKUT 90.3 FM, where she has produced shows, held a variety of positions, and now serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors. Cecilia is grateful for the opportunity to push these passions further with the Gzowski internship.
Melissa Fundira - 2015 Peter Gzowski Intern
Melissa graduated from McGill with an honors degree in environment and development and a minor in economics. With interests in environmental and food justice, music, urban planning, and more, she found the perfect vehicle to explore many different topics in radio. Melissa has produced varied content for CKUT 90.3 FM and has done print journalism and podcasting for the McGill School of Environment. Having lived in many countries and now calling Montreal home, Melissa is looking forward to exposing and bridging all perspectives one radio story at a time. She is thrilled to be able to get one step closer to this goal with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of being a Gzowski Intern.
Sophie Blais - 2014 Peter Gzowski Intern
Sophie Blais graduated from McGill with a joint honours in political science and international development studies. During her time at McGill, she was extensively involved in student media, as a news producer for TVM and as a news editor for Le Délit. Having experimented with both press and video journalism, she is really looking forward to discovering the ins and outs of radio, thanks to her internship at CBC Radio this summer. Sophie is grateful for this fantastic opportunity to learn the ropes of public radio in her favorite city.
Emily Murphy - 2013 Peter Gzowski Intern
Emily Murphy completed her BA in English (cultural studies), anthropology, and French. Having been brought up in Goderich, ON listening to the CBC, she is looking forward to working in their Montreal office this summer as a recipient of the CBC Radio Peter Gzowski Internship. Apart from her academics, Emily spent her time in the many theatres across campus both on and off stage, worked as Publicity Director for Tuesday Night Café Theatre, volunteered as a staff food writer for Leacocks' Online Magazine, and offered campus tours to new students. Passionate about effective and creative communication, Emily is excited to be working on the variety of programs that CBC Montreal has to offer and is grateful for this opportunity.
Dana Holtby - 2011 Peter Gzowski Intern
I am a self-professed radio-geek. Growing up in a small-town, radio was often my escape. I would stay up late into the night listening to the CBC to hear the smooth sultry voice of Patti Schmidt on Brave New Waves and the dispatches of journalists stationed far away. So when several friends referred me to the Peter Gzowski internship posting I figured I would give it a shot. I had little journalistic experience, but a strong sense of curiosity and a love for the medium. It didn’t disappoint. I was given the chance to speak to important political figures, skilled storytellers, and even provided with a legitimate excuse to pry into the love lives of my friends. I worked as a researcher, reporter, and writer. I even somehow managed to get my voice on national radio. More importantly, this internship surrounded me with highly skilled and experienced journalists that were open to all of my naïve questions about journalism. There were times that I was overwhelmed and others where I was left bored and unsure of what I was expected to do, but the internship ultimately left me a more experienced journalist with a hunger for good stories.
To listen to a soundclip created by Dana about her experience, click here.
Claire Caldwell - 2010 Peter Gzowski Intern
Claire Caldwell graduated from McGill with a joint honours in French and English literature in 2010. She is also a product of the McGill Daily School of Journalism, having worked as both Culture and Features editor during her undergrad. She was also deeply involved in the creative writing community at McGill. Claire will be pursuing an MFA in poetry at the University of Guelph in the fall.
Like many Canadian kids, I grew up with CBC radio – in the car, in the kitchen, and eventually, in my own headphones and bedroom speakers. Both of my parents were CBC producers, so I had my fair share of behind-the-scenes and in-the-studio experiences as a youngster. But none of it diminished the thrill of being hired as a Gzowski Intern.
This summer has been incredible. I began the internship with a few years of student journalism under my belt, but no radio training. With the help of many talented, kind, and intelligent mentors and colleagues, I’ve learned how to pitch, write, edit, and perform for the radio. In short, I’ve learned how to tell stories – both my own, and others’.
The Gzowski Internship is designed so that the intern experiences as many facets of CBC radio as possible, moving from program to program every couple of weeks. I’ve worked on everything from daily current affairs shows to the CBC Literary Awards, from the national program C’est La Vie to Radio2’s coverage of the Montreal International Violin Competition. Every day is different: I’ve wandered Montreal’s streets with microphone and Marantz, soliciting opinions from passerby; I’ve cold-called politicians and lawyers, buskers and writers; I’ve forgotten my surroundings while clipping and tweaking a green wavelength on my computer screen. I can hardly believe how much I’ve experienced and accomplished in the past few months – most of which was, to be honest, kind of terrifying at the outset.
Now, I’m hooked. I’m especially keen to keep making documentaries. This will probably be a freelance endeavour for now, since I’m heading to the University of Guelph in the fall to do an MFA in creative writing. But I’m going to do whatever I can do keep my foot in the door at the CBC. I would give a lot to continue to be a part of this dynamic, supportive and creative world.
Hayley Lapalme - 2009 Peter Gzowski Intern
Haley Lapalme, a recent graduate from the International Development Studies Program in the Faculty of Arts, was one of four Peter Gzowski CBC Radio interns in 2009.
Radio is a magical beast. It is a faceless chameleon that tempts and thrills imaginations… or at least mine! It filled my childhood and my student apartment with noises, bytes, stories, and sounds that kept me informed and in good company. A summer with the CBC was a chance to step into this compelling world. I had very little radio experience when I started. My position carried me through current affairs, news, and performance; learning the manners and methods of each genre of show. In two-week stints I joined various teams and worked under some brilliant mentors. I booked guests and wrote scripts for hosts; I chased heroes and strangers and integrated their voices into documentaries; I chatted with mayors, taxi drivers, Nobel Prize winners, and pedestrians, always with the company of a microphone. The experience banished my technological aversion - I used sound boards and learned to edit tape, gazing at neon green waves snaking across a black screen. Whether I was out getting “streeters,” chasing doctors for professional opinions, or in studio giving voice to the concerns of farmers in rural Quebec, I was constantly immersed in an intense, experiential learning environment. The curriculum and expectations of my program were demanding and gratifying. In the end, the Gzowski internship was as rewarding as it was seductive. I would love to spend my life mastering the art of storytelling, animating the voices and values of Canadians. Next up, I am about to set out on season of traveling across our true North, strong and free and then through the Indian subcontinent. I expect the sensory overload will provide fodder for my musings about masters programs and a future career in broadcasting.
Listen to one of Hayley's podcasts here.