The Honors College Communication Internship team plays an important role in telling the Honors story. They showcase their storytelling skills in a variety of ways and through numerous communication channels.
The team includes five students. Meet one of the new faces on the team, Tanner O’Neal Riley! Riley is a junior journalism major.
How did you find your way to the University of Missouri?
Believe it or not, potatoes. During my junior year of high school, my family and I took a trip to our hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana, my city of birth, for my cousin’s baby shower. My family and I were staying at my aunt’s house, as was one of my other cousins and his fiancée. In preparation for the shower, and as any New Orleanian will tell you, the most important part of the shower is the food. My mother, sister and I set up shop in the kitchen to wash potatoes for the next day’s BBQ baked potato bar. A radical concept, but I can assure you it was executed perfectly, and my cousin’s fiancée pitched in to help.
It just so happened that his fiancée, Tonya Simpson, is a Murrow- and Emmy-award-winning journalist working for ABC in New York City. We spoke at length about our shared love of journalism, her work at ABC, and how she earned her spot at one of the nation’s most prestigious news organizations. The J-School came up almost immediately! Tonya spoke with great fondness for Mizzou and for many of the faculty members here, like Randy Reeves at KOMU 8, whom Tonya credited with helping her get started in the news industry.
What really impressed me was how she spoke about the Missouri Method, learning by doing. Based on the research I did then and my experiences now, I can wholeheartedly conclude that this is a unique aspect of the J-School’s program that is not likely to be found anywhere else.
And look at me now! Every day at Mizzou is another day I get to wake up and chase my dreams, no matter how lofty they might be. The sky is quite literally the limit, and I could not be more grateful — both to Tonya and to the spuds that helped us connect.
What interested you in the School of Journalism at Mizzou?
I knew when Tonya said the Mizzou J-School was the best that it was the place I needed to be. But like any good journalist, I had to do my own research. I attended the Mizzou Investigative Journalism Workshop under the direction of Professor Mark Horvit, former executive director of Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE), and a recent Scripps Howard Teacher of the Year Award recipient. I spent a week the summer before my senior year on campus developing my investigative skills with students from across the country. We had a data journalism bootcamp with Liz Lucas, practiced story pitches, toured campus and the various newsrooms in the Missouri News Network, and met with faculty and staff within the J-School.
I still remember calling home each day during the program, a habit I’ve maintained throughout my time at Mizzou, always feeling more excited than the day before. I knew then, without a doubt, that the J-School was the place for me.
Could you talk about being part of the Honors College and some of the opportunities you’ve had through the college?
Where do I begin? Being part of the Honors College has been transformative. It has offered me access to smaller, discussion-based courses, exclusive research opportunities, and the chance to connect with peers who are equally driven and passionate.
Through the Honors College, I’ve been able to engage in interdisciplinary projects, attend special lectures, and gain experiences that complement my work in journalism, making my time at Mizzou even richer and more fulfilling. Honors courses allow for hands-on experience while also providing space for intellectual exploration, and there are numerous scholarships and funding opportunities to support students in pursuing ambitious projects.
Do you have a favorite Honors class that you’ve participated in?
My favorite Honors class is, without a doubt, Diagnosing the Dark, taught by Dr. Seth Howes. I thoroughly enjoyed the structure of the course, which was easy to follow, the lectures, which were engaging, and the subject matter, which covered a wide range of topics, all of which came back to the main idea. In the course, we tackled “the problem of evil, the puzzle of human nature, the challenge of right action, the quest for justice, the mystery of love, our ethical and social responsibilities, and the continual search for a voice and an art adequate to our experience…”
The course moved like a bullet train! One week, Dr. (Rachel) Harper lectured on Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold. And another week, Dr. (Troy) Hall brought his drum set to discuss jazz, syncopated rhythms and the history of New Orleans.
The course’s greatest takeaway comes from the Italian poem Mattina by Giuseppe Ungaretti. Dr. Howes led a discussion on this beautiful three-line poem, reminding us that, regardless of how grim things may seem, there is always light, even in immense darkness. The key lines read: M’illumino d’immenso — “I’m illuminated by the immense.”
What’s a fun fact about you that others may not know?
I am an avid fountain pen collector, having amassed over 50 pens from various parts of the world. As the son of a teacher, I grew up surrounded by pens, paper and all manner of stationery. I suppose that’s where it comes from. That and my being an “old soul.”
I first got bitten by the “fountain pen bug” during my senior year of high school, and I’ve been pen-crazy ever since. The writing experience is smooth, there are thousands of ink options, and fountain pens are amazing conversation starters. Special shoutout to Jill Diener in the College of Arts and Sciences — she is, to date, the only other enthusiast I’ve met here in Columbia.
In truth, there’s just something magical about putting a handwritten note in the mail — whether it’s a thank-you, a congratulations or just a friendly hello. It requires an extra level of thought to go into the communication, and somehow it makes every word feel more meaningful.