This blog post is dedicated to my mom. Thanks for editing my cover letter! Yes, I’m almost 22-years-old and still send the most important applications to my mother. Shout out to moms everywhere for reminding us that wordy clichés do not belong in serious, no-nonsense endeavors.
11 February 2019
Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! Production Intern - Summer 2019
Requisition Number: WAITW01854
To Whom It May Concern:
I have been an avid NPR listener for as long as I can remember, and becoming an intern at NPR would be a life-long dream realized. I grew up listening to Wait Wait every weekend on the way to soccer games and Car Talk on the way back. I get my news from Morning Edition, and I’ve re-listened to every single episode of Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me dating back to 2009. That’s a full decade of Wait Waiting!
Insatiably curious, I seek out adventure wherever possible. I’m always on the hunt for opportunities to experience new and unfamiliar things. That need to explore took me on a year-long expedition around the globe: milking cows in Switzerland, publishing research in Bangkok, performing onstage in London, buying and repairing a motorbike to ride the length of Vietnam... you get the idea. I have now worked, studied, and traveled in more than 20 countries, and I returned home with a tattoo written in Ancient Khmer, inked on my back by a Buddhist monk following a three-hour conversation in broken Thai. His blessing, loosely translated, identifies me as an adventurer, truth-seeker, and good storyteller. I didn’t tell my mom about it for a while.
More recently, that need to explore has brought me to you! I’ve started a blog entirely dedicated to becoming an NPR intern, and on it, I’ll be regularly writing posts that chronicle my journey to public radio fame and glory! Sneak Peek: My next post will be about the organizational skills I’ve developed through bullet journaling (and other relevant traits that qualify me for the job). Visit carterguensler.com for my blog and portfolio!
If you visit my site, you’ll also find the first episode of my podcast, Carter Will Be An NPR Intern. Now also available on Spotify! I’d highly recommend you give it a listen if you haven’t already. Think of it as a very serious, very professional, no-nonsense supplement to my formal application.
I would love to share more via interview. Until then, I’ll be finishing up my final semester at UNC, where I study environmental science, dramatic arts, and mathematics. I believe in a healthy, sustainable planet and the fight against climate change. I believe in the power of story-telling and vulnerability. I enjoy creative problem solving and thrive when challenged.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Carter Lewis Guensler
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Class of 2019
Environmental Science B.S. | Mathematics Minor
Hopefully, this does the trick!
And as always, listen to Carter Will Be An NPR Intern on Spotify at: spoti.fi/2N5Cu2L
For a what’s-what about the podcast, visit my about page.
For an evolving page of photos/experiences, visit my portfolio.