Lily Becker

"The Kansas Reflector has given me every opportunity I could’ve asked for my summer internship leading into my senior year of college."
Lily Becker sitting in front of a microphone and laptop doing a podcast
Lily Becker interned with the Kansas Reflector in summer 2022.

Kansas Reflector

I spent this summer interning with the Kansas Reflector. The Kansas Reflector is a statewide 2-year-old nonprofit online news outlet with in-depth coverage of Kansas politics and varying opinion pieces. A perk is that the Kansas Reflector allows other news outlets to republish its work for free, so I’ve been published across the state and even in Missouri!

On my first day I went to Topeka, where the Kansas Reflector office is located, to take a tour of the Capitol. It was an eye-opening moment, foreshadowing my work for the rest of the summer. I’ve had the opportunity to interview Kansas politicians, and even went to Wichita to do a drive-along with Sedgwick County Commissioner Lacey Cruse for my enterprise article concerning homelessness in Kansas. She drove me around the city, showing me Wichita’s homeless problems firsthand.

Beyond politics, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with Kansans about policies and events that affect their day-to-day lives. As a St. Louis native, speaking with Kansans has given me a better sense of what life is like across the Sunflower State.

I’ve also had the opportunity to work on my photojournalism skills and even hosted my first podcast with three Democratic representatives who are running unopposed in this year’s election.

The Kansas Reflector has given me every opportunity I could’ve asked for my summer internship leading into my senior year of college.

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