If you are a frequent visitor to this blog, you may have noticed that a new voice joined our group of writers in early February. In hindsight, I probably should’ve formally introduced our spring intern, Stacey Hollenbeck. But the lapse wasn’t entirely my fault.

Efficient and unassuming, Stacey was a self-contained dynamo from her very first day--- no doubt a product of the education she is getting from the University of Maryland, where she is a senior and a journalism major, and her prior reporting experience, which included stints at a wire service and various university publications.

Stacey was the kind of intern every supervisor dreams of getting (I’m sure I’m going to embarrass her here): energetic and self-directed, she knew when to ask for help, but rarely did because could usually find the answer on her own. Creative and tech-savvy, she even showed a few of us “old-timers” a few cool tricks we didn’t know.

In an era of concern over how American education is falling behind other nations, Stacey (wow, I should get paid for this ringing endorsement) proves public education (she went to public schools and a state college) continues to produce quality students who possess those critical 21st century skills. We will miss her and her contributions, but wish her well in her next assignment with the Editorial Projects in Education.

Naomi Dillon, Senior Editor