Hello, everybody! My name is Mikey Severson, and I am excited to join NNS as a reporting intern. My focus this school year will be on youth homelessness in Milwaukee as part of Marquette University’s O’Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism.
I’m a senior at Marquette, studying journalism, sport management and communication leadership. I am a native of St. Charles, Illinois, but Milwaukee has helped enhance my passion for journalism and community-based reporting.
I joined NNS as an intern for the O’Brien Fellowship In Public Service Journalism. I’m supporting the project of O’Brien Fellow and NNS reporter PrincessSafiya Byers, who is examining youth homelessness in Milwaukee.
My path to journalism
My journalism journey started from an early age. In the first grade, I had a penchant for asking questions on various subjects. My teacher at the time, Ms. Egasti, gave me a notebook to jot them down, and she’d write her responses the next day.
I first found a sense of passion for the human-interest components of different teams and organizations while playing flag football at seven years old.
As a youngster, I would always find time to peruse the sports and local news sections of the Kane County Chronicle, but I was unsure what path to pursue at the collegiate level.
As college application season commenced, I enrolled in my first journalism class and wrote some short stories to wrap up my senior year of high school.
The spirit of discovery and chasing a dream fueled my decision to pursue journalism at Marquette University— to Johnston Hall, where the Diederich College of Communication is housed, and the Marquette Wire, the student news site.
Telling stories
I’ve spent the past three years working as a sports reporter for the Marquette Wire, covering women’s basketball, men’s tennis programs and women’s soccer.
Through my coursework, I have cherished the opportunity to help spotlight the greater Milwaukee food and community scenes, including Almost Home Cat Shelter, the Wisconsin Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Midwest Sad, a queer-owned bakery & café.
Sports ignited my interest in journalism, but showcasing the how and why behind someone’s journey, beyond a box score or statistical report, became what I love most about being a journalist.
Some of my favorites were chronicling the power of family in the Vazquez brothers’ college tennis journey, or Molly Keiper’s attitude of gratitude after coming back from a serious knee injury.
I’ve worked as a video production staff member with the Kane County Cougars, a professional baseball team of the American Association of Professional Baseball, for the past two summers.
Whether it was the mascot race, pregame performances, some special food offerings, or even the dance camera, I refined my camera and video storytelling skills.Most importantly, I saw how a social atmosphere can uplift people of all ages.
Now, covering youth homelessness for NNS, I welcome the opportunity to help tell stories that serve our community. I am eager to learn more about Milwaukee through my reporting and to help ensure people’s voices are heard.
If you have a story, anecdote or want to say hi, feel free to send me an email at michael.severson@hotmail.com, or on X at @MikeySeversonMU.
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