It’s my second week as the editorial intern at LVS and I’m excited to introduce myself in my first-ever blog post! As an English major at Lehigh University with little journalism experience, even I couldn’t have foreseen a few months ago that today I would be sitting in the LVS office instead of Linderman Library or the dining hall. My journey to this swivel chair began last October when I stopped by my school’s Career Fair with the intention of speaking to an LVS representative, one of the only companies on the list I thought would be suited to my interests and strengths.
With only a half hour before I had to exchange my suit for sweats and hurry off to track practice, I was able to speak with Meghan, who immediately impressed me with the professionalism of the magazine and the valuable service it provides to the Lehigh Valley. Fast forward a few months, and after Meghan informed me that they were selecting interns for the spring semester, a flurry of resumes, writing samples and emails led me to score a sweet hands-on internship at the region’s best local magazine.
So far I’ve been working on April’s issue, writing articles for the web and speaking to company representatives to produce brief write-ups for the Life in the Valley section—and that’s only week one! I’ve previously tried my hand at newspaper, public information, sports, creative and formal writing, but I’m still getting used to the snappy, catchy style characteristic of LVS. It’s a thrill to be able to step away from the familiar sights of campus and into the professional world, of which I will hopefully be a full-time member in just a year or two.
After perusing blog entries from past interns and talking to Meghan, I realize that I’m on the younger side for this job. A junior in college, I won’t turn twenty-one until the summer, too late to attend any of LVS’ monthly happy hour events (bummer!). I’m still trying to figure out where I will land after graduation, and I hope that my time here will help me figure out whether the magazine editorial world is where I belong. While I know that I have a lot to learn, the staff here has been more than helpful in getting me oriented and I’m ready to hit the ground running—lucky for my burgeoning inbox and ample to-do list.
Although some obstacles stood in my way of being able to do this internship—namely not having a car and being a busy student athlete with jobs on campus—I knew that I would have to make it work to take advantage of this amazing opportunity. I’m so glad that things fell into place so that I could be sitting here today writing to you. There are many exciting things to come, and I hope that you will follow me as I attempt to learn the ins and outs of work and life at LVS.
