Tuesday, November 8, 2011 twitter.com/@msureporter
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Minnesota State University, Mankato
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I Love Chile! MSU student explores South America during internship
GRACE WEBB
staff writer
When it comes to finding an internship, many college students are happy to grab whatever comes their way, even if it’s something as dull as office aid in Minneapolis. Minnesota State University, Mankato senior Avery Cropp’s internship takes place somewhere a little more exciting: Santiago, Chile. “It was just one those ‘in the right place at the right time,’” Cropp said. “[I’d thought], ‘You know what, let’s try South America,’ [and] it came up.” Cropp is pursuing degrees in both journalism and Spanish. She said she began looking for internships earlier in the year but didn’t know exactly what she wanted to do. She said she did want to find a job that helped her develop skills in both her majors, which could be difficult. She finally found a posting by MSU’s Career Development Center that offered
an internship position at “I Love Chile,” an English-based media group in Santiago. “It’s the best combination of my journalism and Spanish majors that I found,” Cropp said. She said besides being interested in honing her Spanish skills, she was also intrigued by all the different ways “I Love Chile” offered news: a newspaper, radio station and its website. Since Cropp isn’t sure what she wants to do with her major, she said she was excited to experiment with different media forms. “I knew that back home, I’d probably be working with a specific thing, [but] this internship was offered so that I could work in radio, TV, online and print edition, so I thought that sounded great,” Cropp said. During her internship, Cropp has written for the website about everything from business feature articles to huge cultural events. She also co-hosts a daily radio
Cropp / page 5
•courtesy of avery cropp MSU Student Avery Cropp has an internship in a more exotic location than most.
• jimmychin.com Jimmy Chin’s photographs have been featured in National Geographic, Outside and The North Face.
Explorer gives hometown lecture Jimmy Chin speaks at MSU
CHELSEA MILLER
staff writer
Last Wednesday, Jimmy Chin, accomplished rock climber, skier, and photographer, was back in his hometown of Mankato to give a presentation titled, “Both Sides of the Lens,” an intimate twohour showcase of some of Chin’s photography as well as video from his expeditions around the world. This art, boosted by the creative and pensive atmosphere of the new ballroom, left many audience members in wonder. Four and a half million dollars went into the renovation of the ballroom in the Centennial Student Union. This huge sum of money could have been put to countless other uses. Are these ballroom events of any worth? What are the intentions behind these upgrades? It is clear after Wednesday’s event that most people’s intentions are to make MSU a place of palpable pride equipped with vehicles for student success. This goal indeed starts by creating a place, such as the ballroom, to acknowledge the accomplishments of others while simultaneously creating an experience to stimulate the intellectual growth of its audience. It was an experience to say the least. Huge projectors created an almost 360 degree view of different images, offset by dim blue lights. The simplicity spoke
was only three jobs I could have, I could either be a doctor, a lawyer or a business man, but then I found rock climbing.” The pressure to lead a normal life was not enough to stop the adventurer from being himself. For seven years Chin lived in his Subaru, traveling to different locations like Yosemite and Joshua Tree, to his traditional parents complete dismay. “My other was like, ‘there isn’t even a word in Chinese for what you do,’” Chin explained. During those seven years, Chin got his first photo published. A friend had submitted some of his own photography to a magazine, with one photo taken by Chin stuck in the bunch. Sure enough, Chin’s photo was the only one the magazine bought. This new hobby changed a lot for Chin and his crew of mountain climbers. Eventually, as more photos were sold, and his skills grew, he was able to plan expeditions sponsored by magazines such as National Geographic, Outside and The North Face. It was from those sponsored trips that Chin captured his most amazing shots, the same shots that decorated the walls of the ballroom. Each one had a crisp, cool quality and color so true and sharp you could almost feel the chill of the mountain air. The
Chin lecture / page 5
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volumes through white walls and a small stage with nothing but a man and his laptop. One of the people to speak before Chin was district 77 music teacher, Marti Ryan. Ryan gave Chin violin lessons when he was just four years old, and was responsible for contacting and convincing him to do the presentation. This petite and softspoken woman, coerced onto the stage, inadvertently set the tone for the whole evening. “Music is another vessel, like rock climbing,” Ryan explained with tears in her eyes, “and Jimmy, I am so inspired by you.” Chin has shared this presentation with dozens of audiences, although it is safe to say that the nostalgia from coming home and being with old friends definitely enhanced the impact. “It is very moving to be home, and it definitely takes coming back to see how much you miss it,” Chin said when he first took the podium. From that point on Chin spoke to the audience friend to friend, giving an honest report of the wild, fulfilling life he has found. His life did not always reflect the free spirit he is now. Born in 1974, brought up by two Minnesota State University librarians, Chin thought differently about the world. “At the time, I thought there
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