Go fetch me a coffee, and then lunch with a side of big blue.

The life of an intern can be stressful, but two former Livewire staffers are about to find out how to complete a variety of tasks while covering Kentucky sports at the same time.

Haley Simpson and Kendall Mayfield applied to KSR for very different reasons. After what they said was a pretty easy process, both were hired for the spring semester. Both credited their success on the Livewire staff to their hiring.

Haley Simpson wants to be a sports journalist. As soon as she stepped on campus at the University of Kentucky she began looking for ways to develop her portfolio. Within a few weeks she had secured a job with kyforward.com which also covers UK sports. Her first assignment was a feature on Arin Gilliland.

Read the story here.

Still, she wasn’t satisfied and turned in an application at the student newspaper, Kentucky Kernel, where former Livewire staffer Emily Priddy writes.

Kendall Mayfield is a first year student at Eastern Kentucky University. Though she was the Livewire Editor-in-Chief, she did not plan to be a journalist. That is part of the reason that she applied. “I wanted a taste of it (journalism) since it was a huge part of my life in high school without having to major in it,” said Mayfield.

Since the interview, Mayfield has considered picking up journalism as a minor.

Despite the fact that Simpson is on campus, it was actually her dad that told her about the opportunity. Simpson’s dad is an avid UK fan and KSR listener. When she found out about it, she jumped on it. “I applied last Friday or Saturday, got an email for an interview, and went in to the radio station on Tuesday for an interview,” said the UK freshman.

Even though Simpson is just starting her second semester on campus, KSR’s founder Matt Jones thought she was a junior. “It was really laid back. He asked me what I wanted to write and what my favorite sport was. It was really quick.”

Though Simpson is a big basketball fan and she has covered soccer, she told Jones that her favorite sport to watch was baseball.

Mayfield took some samples of the Livewire to Jones to view during the interview. One of the articles she chose was her article on high school students who were struggling through pregnancy while in high school. She also took her article on bullying that was featured in the magazine. The Kentucky High School Journalism Association selected her as the top feature writer in the state for that article.

Both were quick to credit their experience on the Livewire staff for helping prepare them for this opportunity.

“I left Matt Jones with some of our magazines and he said he was really impressed,” said Mayfield.

Simpson took a similar approach taking some articles that she had written. “I knew how to write and I had written about UK sports before. Steiner did a very good job when he had me as a student. (When writing in college) the message is the same as his.”

Mayfield expanded on her time on the Livewire staff. “Working with the Livewire helped me a lot. I know how to follow a system and has also made me a leader. I feel more confident stepping up and not being nervous in front of people. I’m going to be talking to big people in the UK community, so it’s crucial that I know how not to be awkward,” said Mayfield.

“I couldn’t be more proud of their success. It’s one thing to be successful in high school. I really care about their success after high school. Kendall and Haley will be amazing additions to the KSR staff. They know how to get the job done and are great with people. I can’t wait to see what they do,” said Livewire adviser Mr. Larry Steinmetz.

Steinmetz went on to give them credit for how they worked to prepare themselves for their opportunity. Mayfield echoed those thoughts. “I didn’t really realize the impact high school journalism had on me until I got to college. It all has helped me in the long run. Especially all the goofy things Steiner made us do, like at the time it all seemed irrelevant, but now I know how to be independent and how to talk to people.”

Check the Livewire for updates on Mayfield and Simpson and an upcoming feature on Western Kentucky’s student newspaper editor-in-chief Cameron Love.