Dean Trombino has been a sports fan ever since a stuffed dolphin fascinated him as a child.
Trombino and his family were on their annual summer vacation to Lake Tahoe, and when they came across a street show, the little boy was taken by a certain NFL mascot.
“My 2-year-old took the dolphin plushie and never looked back,” she said, explaining that she has been a devoted Miami Dolphins fan ever since.
Trombino is a second-year College of the Desert student who joined The Desert Sun staff this month as a sports intern. Born in Palm Springs, the Palm Desert High School Class of 2021 graduate has lived in the Coachella Valley his entire life.
Growing up, she always enjoyed writing, but it wasn’t until she took a journalism class as a senior in high school that Trombino began to think about a future in media. He had joined the school’s football team a few years before, and quickly realized that his future career had to involve the sport.
“When I was playing football, I realized, man, I want to be in this game somehow,” Trombino said. “And I really enjoy writing about it. So sports journalism seemed like a cool way to go down.”
In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, encouraged by the sports commentators he regularly watched on television, Trombino began publishing his NFL commentary on YouTube. He hopes to further his understanding of video as a medium for storytelling by working with The Desert Sun’s visual team.
Trombino said her family thought she would be “getting coffee” for her training, but after publishing three stories in just a few weeks, she’s happy to prove them wrong.
“I’ve been talking to some really cool people,” he said. “I just talked to Fabrice Voyne, who’s an Army player now. And I got to talk to Rosie Casals, the super cool tennis star. The experience has been amazing so far. I enjoyed every second of it. “
But the best is yet to come for Trombino, who will be part of the Desert Sun football team this year. Although he used to be on the football field wearing shoulder pads instead of taking notes, Trombino is looking forward to covering his first game as a reporter.
In fact, soccer isn’t just his favorite sport—it’s his “favorite” season.
Trombino joined The Desert Sun this month thanks to donations from the Bruce Fessier Internship Fund at the College of the Desert Foundation, which administers the paid internship.
The internship fund is named after longtime Desert Sun arts and culture reporter Bruce Fessier, who retired in June 2019 after more than 40 years on the beat. The fund gives College of the Desert students the opportunity to gain work experience and learn new skills at The Desert Sun to further their career dreams in the media.
Donations to the fund are tax-deductible, and all donations go directly to the students who serve. To donate, you can send a check made payable to the College of the Desert Foundation. On the invitation line, please write “Bruce Fessier Fund.” Mail it to College of the Desert Foundation, 43-500 Monterey Ave., Palm Desert, CA 92260.
