By Mike McClure
Laurel native and Delmar High School and Temple University graduate Samuel O’Neal has been on quite a ride in recent years, from internships in Boise, Idaho, and Harrisburg, Pa., to covering the presidential debate in Philadelphia and the Temple basketball team, to a recent post-graduation trip to California to deliver papers to a fire damaged school that couldn’t print its school newspaper. On June 4, O’Neal will embark on his greatest adventure: a 12-month fellowship with News Corp Australia in Sydney, Australia.
Because of his duties as a leader with The Temple News, the Temple University student newspaper, Samuel never had the opportunity to study abroad. Less than a month after graduating from Temple (May 8), he begins a new journey.
“I’ve always wanted to experience studying abroad,” said O’Neal, who visited Australia with his family last year. “I love Australia.”
Delmar High School and Temple graduate Samuel O’Neal, left, is shown with Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts earlier this month in California. O’Neal and his professor hand-delivered papers to students at Palisades Charter High School, which was damaged in wildfires at the beginning of the year.
Time at Temple- O’Neal earned his journalism degree from Temple’s Klein College of Media and Communication earlier this month. He chose the school because he wanted to be relatively close to home but in his own environment.
“Temple was everything I could ever hope for. I can’t say enough good things about my Temple experience,” said O’Neal, who went on field trips to the city and is a fan of the Philadelphia sports teams.
O’Neal chose journalism because he played sports in school and wanted to stay involved in sports afterward without playing or coaching. He also enjoyed writing and was “good in English and bad in math.”
Initially, Samuel pursued sports coverage as a sports writer at The Temple News before eventually getting opportunities outside of sports. He worked his way up with the paper, serving as assistant sports editor before becoming editor-in-chief where he hired and managed a staff of 35-36 and determined how the paper covered the 2024 presidential election.
“Working at the student paper puts you in position to cover things you didn’t think you’d want to cover,” O’Neal said. “Covering all of that was a really cool experience. There’s always something fun going on in Philly. It’s a great news city.”
During his time at The Temple News, O’Neal covered the Temple men’s basketball team (his sophomore year), did an internship at the state capital (Harrisburg, Pa.), and was onsite for the presidential debate in Philadelphia.
Helping high school students- O’Neal’s advisor has a college friend who works at Palisades Charter High School, which sustained heavy damage from the January fire in Palisades. As a result, the school was unable to print its newspapers. The Temple News included an eight-page insert with the California students’ work in its final edition this spring. O’Neal and his professor recently flew to California to hand deliver the papers. The printing and the trip were paid for by Temple University.
“They (students) were excited to hold a physical copy of their work,” O’Neal said. “Being able to help out despite being 3,000 miles away was really cool.”
Samuel also had an opportunity to meet Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who donated money to the school for repairs following the fire.
After Australia- The sky’s the limit for O’Neal when he returns from Australia on June 26, 2026. He would like to find a job in the northeast in a city like Boston, Philadelphia, New York, or Washington, D.C., and is open to covering politics, sports, or even education. O’Neal comes from a family of educators, including his father Dr. Andy O’Neal who is the Delmar School District Superintendent, and his mother, Erin Razzano, a teacher in Laurel. He also did education reporting during an internship in Boise, Idaho.
Wherever he ends up, O’Neal is thankful for the support of his family, which allowed him to go wherever he wanted to go during his time in college. His college search, which took place during the pandemic, began in Colorado. He was accepted to the University of Colorado, but Temple gave him a better offer.
O’Neal’s family allowed him to decide where he wanted to go and provided him with financial and emotional support. “I’m grateful for them,” said O’Neal.
