Travel Job: MySpace and New York Times Jounalism Internship in Africa

My Space and the New York Times are working together to offer the second annual “Win a Trip with Nick” African reporting competition. This essay competition will allow one college student and one middle or high school teacher the opportunity to travel to Africa with the Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Nick Krisof in June. This is a HUGE opportunity for any person who fits the limited criteria and who would like to pursue a career in travel journalism in the future.

MySpace is creating a customized community to “engage users in the contest and offer video from the expedition, raising awareness about the challenges facing strife-ridden African nations.”

“Traveling through Asia and Africa when I was in college was a turning point in my life,” said Kristof. “My hope is that the student and teacher who join me this summer will be similarly affected and will share their discoveries about Africa and its people with their peers and their students.”

I haven’t spent much time in Africa, my only experience being a day trip from Spain to Tangier, Morocco but I can tell you that traveling abroad and experiencing a culture other that that of your own is a life changing experience. My first trip out of the United States was my senior year of college. I spent a month in school in Salamanca, Spain and traveled throughout western Europe for several weeks after. That trip coupled with a Habitat for Humanity project in Udon Thani, Thailand the following summer really contributed to the person I am today.

How do you get in on the action? Students and teachers may submit essays explaining why they want to make the trip and why they are the best candidate for the experience. The competition is open to any student 18 or older who is attending an American college, university, or graduate school and any teacher currently working in a middle or high school in the United States. Essays must be limited to 700 words and must be received along with application forms by April 6, 2007. More information about the competition is available at https://www.myspace.com/winatrip and https://www.nytimes.com/winatrip.