A West Virginia University junior was awarded the opportunity to write articles for a newspaper published by the Society of Professional Journalists.

Jon Offredo of Newtown, Pa., earned one of 12 national internships as a reporter for The Working Press, a tabloid that was published three times at the SPJ national convention earlier this month in Atlanta.

He is a news editorial major in WVU s P.I. Reed School of Journalism.

Journalism professor Bonnie Stewart encouraged Offredo to apply for the internship.

Being selected to cover the national SPJ convention is an honor that few students attain,Stewart said.Jon was a great asset to The Working Press.

To apply for the internship, Offredo submitted clips, a resume and a cover letter.

I figured why not, and one morning in June I found out I was accepted,he said.I actually had never heard about the position before. I owe my involvement and the awesome experience I got to Bonnie Stewart.

Each year, SPJ sponsors internships for 12 students, including reporters, graphic designers and photographers. Joe Skeel, associate executive director, said this years students were selected from 60 applicants nationwide.

We treat The Working Press like any full-blown newspaper,Skeel said.The main focus is to cover convention news. In choosing reporters, we look at experience and strong writing ability.

The newspaper, printed at a local paper in Georgia, was distributed by hand at the convention. All of the photos, layout and stories were done by students.

Offredo said the experience offered hima good chance to explore a new city, meet new people and cover some really interesting sessions.

While covering the convention, Offredo wrote about Brett Blackledge, the 2007 Pulitzer Prize winner for investigative journalism, as well as L. Lin Wood, the attorney who prosecuted defamation claims on behalf of JonBenet Ramseys parents and the late Richard Jewell. He also wrote a column about the homeless situation in Atlanta and several other stories.

Offredo said the internship also gave him the opportunity to meet a lot of well-respected journalists.

All of my professional editors and mentors were incredible,he said.

Currently the associate city editor at WVU s student newspaper, The Daily Athenaeum, Offredo has also interned at The Dominion Post and was an editor of the School of Journalism alumni magazine, SOJ Insider.

Offredo is the son of Ron Offredo and Maria DErrico.

For more information about SPJ and The Working Press, visit http://spj.org/wp.asp .