February 25, 2026
Sac State student Jacob Garcia Rodriguez was always told he had a voice for radio, but the English major didn’t hear it until he interned at CapRadio.
“I wanted to hone my storytelling abilities. I think storytelling can be done in a variety of ways like the written word or spoken out loud,” Rodriguez said. “… Now radio is something I can completely see as a career.”
A new partnership between Sacramento State and CapRadio will give other students hands-on experience that could lead to future careers.
CapRadio, with the support of Sac State, launched the Public Media and Student Advancement Fund dedicated to supporting paid student internships and strengthening the future of local public radio.
The University and CapRadio are also collaborating for the first time on a Give Sac State Day initiative to raise $100,000 for student internships on March 4.
Give Sac State Day is the University’s 36-hour online giving event. Each year, generous donations help support vital programs that prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow and make Sac State an engine of opportunity for the region.
“This partnership reflects what is possible when education and public media come together around a shared responsibility to create lasting impact by serving students and the community,” said Sac State Vice President of Advancement Michael Reza.
“Through this collaborative effort for Give Sac State Day, we can offer more students an opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge and experience working at a renowned local public media organization while developing their own career pathways.”
The new partnership helps students and the community.
One of Sac State President Luke Wood’s campus imperatives includes providing students with an education that offers a “return on investment” through valuable job experience that connects them with potential employers.
Give Sac State Day, the University’s annual online giving event, kicks off at 7 a.m. on March 4. Give Sac State Day offers a wide range of giving opportunities, including the new Public Media and Student Advancement Fund.
Student interns can also contribute to the work being done at the radio station and offer fresh ideas, CapRadio’s Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer Chris Bruno said.
“Our mission here at CapRadio is not just delivering these essential services, but we’re trying to uplift and support a stronger region,” Bruno said.
“By providing these experiences to students and bringing them into a professional, real-world environment, it helps prepare a workforce for the future that creates a stronger overall community.”
CapRadio is the National Public Radio member station serving Northern California. Located on campus, it operates as a nonprofit under the University and has a long history of Sac State student interns.
Several of its current employees are Hornets, according to Bruno.
Each year, the public radio station invests between $80,000 and $90,000 in paid student internships, he said.
“It allows us to do more work that serves the public and provides essential news and information and music programming to the region,” Bruno said. “That’s incredibly important.
“If we’re going to remain accessible and relevant to future generations, what better way than getting students actively involved and coming up with new ways to reach out?”
Over the past 18 months, seven Sac State interns have worked at the station through its standard program where students select a particular focus area such as news or music.
“It’s inspiring to see so many talented students that are eager and hungry to gain experience in this environment,” Bruno said. “We have been able to bring on some phenomenal talent, they’re making major contributions.”
Rodriguez learned the ins-and-outs of being on the air as a volunteer D.J. at the student radio station KSSU and hosting a show called Down the Rabbit Hole. A workshop and tour of CapRadio landed him a summer internship in the music department.
He shadowed music hosts in the booth, put new music into the station’s vast library system, and learned how to use revamped equipment.
When his internship was up, Rodriguez was offered a part-time job. Now, he is juggling his last semester at Sac State while filling in for classical and jazz hosts, working on the website, and pitching ideas for ways to highlight certain artists or genres.
CapRadio also relaunched the Public Radio Experience internship in collaboration with Associated Students, Inc. (ASI). Students spend the semester working in a variety of different aspects that can include marketing, operations, donor relations, and more.
ASI Vice President of Academic Affairs Jenn Galinato worked with CapRadio to bring back the internship after being dormant for nearly a decade.
“Journalists seek the truth and tell the truth through their writing,” Galinato said. “It was really important to bring back the internship at a time when there isn’t a high degree of importance or investment put into arts and journalism.
“My fellow students are saying it’s really hard to break into the field because they don’t have the relevant experience, or the only experience being offered is unpaid.”
University and CapRadio leaders hope the new Public Media and Student Advancement fund will ensure student internship programs are self-sustaining well into the future.
“The opportunities I was given were immensely valuable,” Rodriguez said. “There are so many intricacies to the radio industry. I just want to be a sponge and learn as much as I can.”
CapRadio intern Brittney Diab interviews radio host Mike Nelson as part of her CapRadio internship. (Sacramento State/Jennifer K. Morita)
About Jennifer K. Morita
Jennifer K. Morita joined Sacramento State in 2022. A former newspaper reporter for the Sacramento Bee, she spent several years juggling freelance writing with being a mom. When she isn’t chauffeuring her two daughters, she enjoys reading mysteries, experimenting with recipes, and Zumba.