Dean Trombino joins Desert Sun as a sports intern

Dean Trombino has been a sports fan since stuffed dolphins caught the eye since childhood.

When Trombino and his family went to Lake Tahoe each summer vacation and encountered a street fair, the toddler was taken to a particular stuffed NFL mascot.

“My two-year-old picked up a stuffed dolphin and never looked back,” he said, explaining that he has been an avid Miami Dolphins fan ever since.

Trombino is a sophomore at Desert Journalism University who joined The Desert Sun staff as a sports intern this month. Born in Palm Springs, a 2021 Palm Desert High School graduate lived in the Coachella Valley for the rest of his life.

Growing up, he was always grateful for writing, but Trombino didn’t start thinking about the future of the media until he took a journalism class as a senior in high school. He joined the school football team a few years ago and soon realized that his future career also needed to be involved in sports.

“When I was playing football, I noticed, guy, I really want to be around this sport somehow,” said Trombino. “And I really enjoy writing about it, so sports journalism seemed like a cool route down.”

Inspired by the sports commentators he regularly watches on television during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Trombino began recording his own NFL commentary on YouTube. He wants to work with The Desert Sun’s visual team to gain a better understanding of video as a storytelling medium.

Trombino thought his family was “making people drink coffee” during his internship, but he’s excited to prove that he’s wrong after publishing three articles in just a few weeks. Said.

“I’ve already started interviewing some really cool people,” he said. “Now I’m talking to Army player Fabrice Boyne, and I’m talking to really cool tennis star Rosemary Casals. So far, the experience has been amazing. I’m having fun every second. “”

But for Trombino, who will be part of this season’s Desert Sun preparation football coverage, the best hasn’t come yet. He’s used to being on the football field with shoulder pads instead of notepads, but Trombino is eager to cover his first game as a journalist.

After all, football isn’t just his favorite sport. It’s his “favorite” era.

Trombino joined The Desert Sun this month thanks to a donation to the Bruce Fessier Internship Fund of the College of the Desert Foundation, which undertakes this paid internship.

The Internship Fund is named after Bruce Fessier, a longtime desert sun art and culture reporter. Bruce Fessier retired in June 2019 with a beat of over 40 years. The fund gives desert college students the opportunity to gain work experience and learn new skills in the desert sun to promote their career dreams in the media.

Donations to the fund are tax deductible and all donations are sent directly to the student intern. To donate, you can send a check to the College of the Desert Foundation. Please write “Bruce Fessier Fund” in the memo field. Send it to College of the Desert Foundation, 43-500 Monterey Ave., Palm Desert, CA 92260.