Highly competitive. Fast track. What are the chances? (6 in 1200)

And so it begins....

This time of year, my office gets daily reports about the exceptional and wonderful jobs our May grads are landing....at some of the most competitive and exciting media organizations in the country.

Today's big news comes from Adam Rivera, who has been accepted into the NBC News Associate program, one of the most competitive programs in the country.

Here's how NBC describes it:

The News Associates program is a fast-track opportunity for people with the goal to learn news gathering and production skills.

News Associates gain real-world experience honing research skills, developing news stories working in a news bureau, participating in field and studio show production, on the nightly news, a morning news program, cable news, or on a "magazine" program.

Each News Associate is assigned a mentor who is an experienced staff member. News Associates undergo an intense week long orientation filled with workshops, lunches with guest speakers and training.

Over 75 percent of the News Associates who've completed the program have gone on to various producing positions with NBC News. Some are currently with "Dateline," "NBC Nightly News", "Today" or with MSNBC, CNBC, or our Burbank bureau.

Here's how we describe it: Parkies really are the best!