A day in the life of a Ginger

“Internship happiness” or “Screw You Plan B!”

May 7, 2011 at 1:48 am (college, journalism, life, work) ((614) magazine, happiness, internship, not setteling)

Yesterday after weeks of plotting and schmoozing I was brought on as a summer intern for my favorite local magazine, (614). 

A few years ago when I first found out that I would need an internship in order to graduate with a journalism degree my first thought and hope was to work for (614) Magazine, then just a fledgling publication a few months old.

 I would get excited at the beginning of each month to find the new issue delivered to my job and just decided that I really wanted to write for them.

They have the kind of hip, fun but still solid writing style that I love and I really wanted to be able to work in something outside the stringent world of newswriting.

So then with this wish in my heart, a few months ago the editor came in to my magazine writing class to talk about what they look for in writers and interns and I got even more determined to work there.

Then a few weeks ago I saw that the magazine was holding their two-year anniversary party at a hip, new bar and decided this was my chance to make an impact. There were countless journalism and comm students emailing their resumes and internship requests to the magazine so I needed to make an impression.

So I brought along my most social friend, put on a sexy, yet covered up dress and hit the party. We ended up having a complete blast and met some of the most amazing people including the owner and GM of my favorite radio station, fashion editors, lawyers, business owners and CEOs of a multi-million dollar company who ended up buying us two bottles of wine and dinner (That’s a whole other story…).

 And of course, Travis, the editor.

I told him how much I loved the magazine, what I liked and could write and how much I would love to work for him.

And he couldn’t have been cooler.

He told me that he loved my enthusiasm, gave me his card and said I should email him with my resume and some clips.

A few days later I sent off a charming email begging for a chance and within a few days he had me coming in for an interview.

The entire interview lasted maybe 20 minutes and was incredibly relaxed. At the end he almost casually says that he wants to bring me on for the summer and starts asking me when I want to work. I’m trying not to grin and squeal too much but I’m really excited. This is something I’ve wanted for years and is exactly what I want to do for the rest of my life.

The internship will consist of me working directly with Travis, pitching and writing stories, helping to edit, going on interviews with him and transcribing, helping to put the magazine together for print and attending events all over the city for them.

This, is awesome! I feel like this will be easily the most fun and most rewarding job I’ve ever had and I know it will make it so much easier to send in story ideas to them after I graduate since I’m “in” now.

I quite literally couldn’t be happier, and this is yet another element in my life that I’ve refused to have a plan B for because I knew if I wanted something badly enough I would make it so.

Case in point: I knew I wanted to get into OSU so I didn’t apply anywhere else. I knew I wanted to make it into the journalism program so I had no fall back major. I knew I wanted my ridiculous little sports car, so I found a way to pay for it without taking out a loan. And I knew I was in love with a man who was my close friend four years ago and there was no other option than for us to be together, and I made it so. 

I just feel like if something is important enough, having a back-up plan just gives you an out to accept mediocrity in your life.

And that, it just something that I’m not willing to do.

(*Go to (614) and scroll down to their event pictures and you’ll see me on the intro shot and in several other pictures from the party- it’s kind of wild and random, although for some reason my arm looks enormous*)