Modesto Bee welcomes two new interns this summer, all the way from Tracy and Kansas
Recent University of Kansas graduate Bella Waters and UC Berkeley senior Raina Dent have joined The Modesto Bee this summer to report on all things Stanislaus County. Both interns come with a wealth of journalism experience.
Dent was born in Alabama, then moved to Tennessee before eventually settling in California when she was around 11 years old. Her internship with The Modesto Bee will be her second journalism venture in the Central Valley. A Tracy resident of several years, Dent completed an internship with The Tracy Press in 2023-24.
At UC Berkeley, where she’s majoring in political science, Dent is a sports reporter for the campus newspaper the Daily Californian. Outside of college, she is a member of the New York Times Corps, a journalism talent development and mentorship program. She also previously wrote for EdSource.
While Dent is familiar with the Central Valley, Waters joined the Bee all the way from Kansas, where she interned with another McClatchy newspaper, The Kansas City Star, in 2025 reporting on breaking news.
Waters was born in New Jersey and raised in Michigan. She graduated with a double major in history and journalism and reported and edited at two campus newspapers: The Eudora Times and the University Daily Kansan. Between the two, she covered the cities of Lawrence and Eudora and the university.
Dent’s favorite articles she’s written include a series she produced for her campus paper, The Express, at Las Positas Community College, examining how students were impacted by the Trump Administration’s policies.
Another was a profile about Olympic athlete and UC Berkeley student Claire Weinstein for The Daily Californian. Dent said her favorite stories lie at the intersection of politics, sports and culture.
In her free time, Dent enjoys crocheting, reading nonfiction books and playing volleyball with her friends. “That’s something that we’ve carried on from our high school days,” she said about her athletic pastime.
Waters’ favorite piece is one she produced during her time at The Kansas City Star about a small Missouri town struggling to get mail. The story exposed how the lack of a functional postal service impacted an entire town of residents who were missing bills, medication and more.
“They had no other options, so they came to me,” Waters said. “It just felt like I was helping people out … and it had a big impact.”
She said her favorite beats to cover are education and breaking news. In her free time, Waters enjoys reading fantasy books, playing the piano and being active outdoors.
“I’m just excited to get to know the community,” she said.
This story was originally published July 1, 2026 at 7:07 AM.
