Check out the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, where Thorsen will intern this summer.

Read a news story Thorsen wrote for The Washington Post.

Read a news story written by Thorsen about a bar owner accused of sexual assault.

Read a feature story written by Thorsen about UW-Eau Claire’s first known openly gay faculty member.

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From The Spectator to The Post, Thorsen's done it all

Leah Thorsen's newspaper experience includes working at The Washington Post, the Post Bulletin (Rochester, Minn.), and The Country Today (Eau Claire, Wis.). After she graduates, Thorsen will intern at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel this summer.  (Photo by Mike Dorsher)

While most aspiring journalists gain experience at small or mid-sized newspapers, Leah Thorsen has already completed a three-week residency at The Washington Post and will intern at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel this summer after she graduates in May. 

Thorsen, a 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire senior print journalism major from Grand Meadow, Minn., has worked at a variety of newspapers. She's completed summer internships at the Post Bulletin, a newspaper in Rochester, Minn. and The Country Today, a weekly farm newspaper. 

Although Thorsen’s high school didn’t have a newspaper for her to work on, she said majoring in journalism seemed like a good fit because she liked to write and talk to people. 

The Spectator, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s student newspaper, has consumed much of Thorsen’s college career. She has worked as a features writer, copy editor, chief copy editor, editorial editor, managing editor and editor in chief. 

After graduation, Thorsen hopes to become a crime reporter and specialize in covering cops or courts. “I’m interested in the legal system and finding out why people do some of the things they do,” she said. 

By spending two days following Jamie Stockwell, a Prince George's County police reporter, during her residency at The Washington Post, Thorsen reinforced her interest in crime reporting. Thorsen also spent a day following Neely Tucker, a U.S. District Court reporter for The Washington Post. 

“I sat in on a White House press briefing and a friend saw me on CNN,” Thorsen said. Other highlights of her time at The Washington Post include having coffee with political correspondent David Broder, lunch with associate editor Karen DeYoung and meeting vice president Ben Bradlee and executive editor Leonard Downie Jr. 

Thorsen said she thinks crime is one of the most poorly reported beats in many newspapers. 

“There’s so many stories involved – and they’re things people care about,” she said. “But most stories don't go beyond explaining the tip of the iceberg.” 

“A lot of reporters are content to rely on the criminal complaint and not dig deeper,” Thorsen said. 

With plans to start her career at a daily newspaper, Thorsen hopes her wide-range of experiences will help her switch from intern to staff reporter.