Maybe it’s just because the Disney musical “Newises” makes it look so cool, but I want to be a journalist (not an uncommon ambition among Daily reporters, of course). So I figured, what better preparation for a career in journalism than a summer internship?

Some people believe that summer internships and jobs are more important toward determining future career success than anything you might do in your Stanford classes. And yes, there is certainly a valid argument against the internship culture that benefits affluent students who can afford to forgo employment in favor of unpaid internships. But still, if there’s any doubt about how much internships are stressed, just check the massive number of internship-geared resources at the Career Center

Of course, I had hardly set foot in the Career Center until last winter quarter, when I started researching possible positions and discovered that the majority of summer newspaper internships have application deadlines in October or November. Oops.

So, in March I sent a letter to the editor of my hometown paper. I hail from glorious Redlands, Calif., a suburb that’s located in the “Inland Empire,” about halfway between L.A. and Palm Springs, boasting a population of about 65,000. Lo and behold, it was as simple as that, and I arranged to begin an internship in July.

Redlands prides itself on its history as an orange-growing center and its conservative, affluent feel. Oh, and Redlands has made news in the past couple of years because of the cross on the city seal that the ACLU requested it to remove, leading Redlanders to place an initiative on the ballot to attempt to fight with a lawsuit (the measure was, fortunately, defeated).

So suffice it to say, “The Redlands Daily Facts” is pretty much the essential small-town paper. One of my favorite regular features is “My Best Friend: How cute is your pet?” which obviously consists of pictures of Redlanders’ super-cute pets. And the first article I wrote for the paper was a front-page news story on the July heat wave, including comments from swimming pool contractors and employees at the Y.M.C.A. swimming pool. Hard-hitting, I know.

“It must be nice to live in a town where a library’s air conditioning breaking constitutes major news,” a librarian told a fellow intern when she was working on a story on that very subject.

Well, it actually is. And instead of performing stereotypical intern tasks like making coffee, I was given real work right away. On my fourth day at the paper, local supermarket chain Stater Bros. held its 50th anniversary celebration. Ten minutes before the event started, I was handed a camera and a notepad and sent to cover the story. “Make sure you interview the owner, and the mayor!” My editor shouted as I ran out the door. Right-o.

And I did get to work on some more substantial stories, too. Benji Schwimmer, who was crowned “America’s Favorite Dancer” at the conclusion of the Fox summer reality show “So You Think You Can Dance?” happens to be a Redlands native. Along with another “Daily Facts” reporter, I attended two press junkets, including the one right after the season finale when Benji won, interviewing the dancers and judges alongside reporters from Fox News, E! and the like. And for those who watched the show: hostess Cat Deeley is actually nicer and funnier than she seems, judge Mary Murphy is just as crazy and creator/judge Nigel is smarter but just as smarmy. And in response to rumors, Benji emphasizes that he is not gay.

So, bottom line, my internship turned out to be a great experience. I learned a lot about the workings of a newsroom — and I learned that I’d rather pursue pop culture or entertainment journalism than serious newspaper work. I learned about the workings of office politics and drama (seriously, MySpace wars among reporters in their 20s’), and I feel much more connected to Redlands than I ever have before.

Two years ago, at Redlands’ annual Fourth of July fair, they were selling t-shirts that showed the old city seal with the cross and which proudly proclaimed, “Redlands: MY hometown.” Subtext: and those liberal bastards at the ACLU aren’t going to take it away from me. Well, that’s still Redlands, but after the knowledge gained during my internship, I’m more a part of it.

Next summer, I hope to find an internship that’s a little more high-powered, but I’m proud of all the heat wave and supermarket stories I wrote. Did my internship prepare me for real life after the Stanford bubble? Ask me again once I graduate.

See the breathtakingly mediocre photos Marissa took for the paper or tell her about your internship experiences at marissak@stanford.edu.