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The Sarah Raybin Portlock Fund for Interns

Nancy Raybin and Bill Portlock
Nancy Raybin and Bill Portlock (Photo: Lou Keeton, VPM)

Nancy Raybin and Bill Portlock honor the memory of their daughter by supporting the next generation of public media through the Sarah Raybin Portlock Fund for Interns. Thanks to the support of the Raybin-Portlock family and the generosity of our listening community, VPM has been able to provide career opportunities to interns since 2018.

Students in VPM’s paid internship program contribute to the content and local coverage you rely on, while gaining valuable professional experience through collaboration with station staff and contributing directly to VPM through the work they produce. Interns have the opportunity to assist in News, Radio/Music, Production, Digital and Community Engagement. Your donation toward this fund helps support the next generation of public media.

LEARN ABOUT THE VPM INTERN EXPERIENCE


Sarah's Story

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Sarah was born in Richmond, Virginia and attended Collegiate School where she was also co-editor in chief of Collegiate’s newspaper, The Match. At New York University, she served as editor-in-chief of Washington Square News.  Sarah was a graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism in 2010.

Sarah reported for the Associated Press, Newsday, The Star-Ledger, and the Brooklyn Paper.  After joining The Wall Street Journal, she scaled its ranks to become the publication's day editor, responsible for the daily editorial plan. There she became a beloved colleague and digital media innovator who wrote guides for co-workers, mentored younger reporters and organized networking events for digital journalists. Sarah was an adventurer as comfortable on Fifth Avenue as she was on a hiking trail in the Shenandoah Valley or a boat on the Chesapeake.

Sarah was seven months pregnant when a brain aneurysm ruptured March 31, 2017, and she gave birth to Aviva Portlock Fellman.  Over the next seven months, Sarah made a courageous recovery, but unfortunately passed away suddenly Nov. 6, 2017, after a long, brave struggle. Aviva went home the summer of 2017 after spending 100 days in the NICU. Sarah is survived by her husband Sam Fellman, her father Bill Portlock, her mother Nancy Raybin, her brother Nathan Portlock, and her daughter Aviva.


About Sarah

 

"Collegiate was fortunate to have Sarah as part of its community and I feel fortunate to have known her. A part of her will always remain at the School in the garden named in her memory. During her pregnancy, I had so enjoyed connecting with Sarah on becoming a mom, as she made plans to welcome Aviva. She was glowing!" - Collegiate classmate Lauralee Allen


"From the day we first met in middle school English class, Sarah introduced me to the work of other great reporters, from the Washington Post's Catharine Graham to NPR's Terry Gross to the staff writers at The New Yorker. Although our stint as co-editors of our high school paper was the end of my news career, I knew it was just the beginning of hers. She was determined to make it in journalism, at a time when jobs were scarce and papers were folding.

After rising through the ranks at The Wall Street Journal, no one could argue she didn't. But unlike so many others in her position, it wasn't enough for Sarah that she'd succeeded--she wanted to ensure other young reporters could too, offering her mentorship and guidance to other young reporters. That's why I'm honored to support VPMs Sarah Raybin Portlock intern fund. While my days in the newsroom were numbered, Sarah was born to tell stories, and I can't think of a better way to honor her life than to help inspire other aspiring reporters to follow in her footsteps."  -Collegiate classmate Anne Hyslop  


"I was lucky enough to be a close friend of Sarah's through high school, and I can say with confidence that Sarah always knew a good story when she saw one. She also took very seriously the story of her own life. She knew what she wanted to do - be a journalist in New York City — and she was determined to get there, with a clarity of purpose and fearlessness that I've rarely seen in anyone else. As a result, she was also one of the hardest workers I've known, with the particular talent for being open about her weaknesses and able to ask for feedback in order to improve.

Sarah also had an intuitive understanding of people and truly delighted in the hilarity of the human experience, which made her a joy to be around. Sarah always recognized the advantages she'd been given and would have loved this chance for others to develop their skills in the ways she knew were so important and was able to do well. I'm proud to support the Sarah Raybin Portlock Fund for Interns and help nurture young journalists with the drive and enthusiasm that Sarah embodied." - Collegiate classmate Amy Rosenthal


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