Emily (right) in Italy
Last summer, I spent about half of my three month break in Italy. Certainly more than just a vacation, and even more than just study abroad, my experiences in another country involved writing and reporting foreign news on a multimedia platform. It was a journalism program for the journalism major.; in other words, perfect.
So off I went to the small town of Cagli, terrified of the language barrier [only a handful of townspeople spoke English] but already smitten with the culture. Twenty-three other students joined me at the Da Vinci airport, all in a similar state of anxious excitement.
I think sometimes we all underestimate what a strong force passion can be. Passion for travel, passion for writing; there I was, sitting side by side with complete strangers and conversing avidly about our future careers, home schools, and how many pizzas we planned to eat during our stay. The feeling of being surrounded by people fervent about the same things you are is indescribable. There is an established friendship before you even open your mouths. And it was with these other students that I shared my ideas and progress throughout the program. Ultimately, my story—which involved interviewing an elderly couple (through a translator!) on how they make sheep’s milk cheese by hand—came about through passion, developed and nurtured around people who shared the same love of journalism that I did (read my story here). That passion brought along a renewed sense of motivation and drive in my career of choice.
Which brings me to my point: after leaving a NYWICI event, don’t you always feel motivated to conquer the world…or at least the media bit? There is an inspirational quality in surrounding yourself with so many women passionate about their industry. Someone else tells you her dream, you get excited, the enthusiasm spreads. This is why these organizations are so important. Sharing your ideas is what keeps the energy going! So the next time you’re out and about at an event, brag a little—just imagine the goals you could be inspiring!
~Emily Freisher, Magazine Journalism, Temple University ‘10
No matter how many networking books you pick up, nothing will prepare you as much as NYWICI’s spring-themed networking guide!
During the fall of 2008, I was given the extraordinary opportunity to work as an editorial intern for Sprig.com of the WashingtonPost.Newsweek Interactive.
Something that I’ve found poets love to write about is, well, writing poetry. I haven’t found this to be common in fiction or creative non-fiction, but I’ve read a handful of poems by published authors, unpublished authors, and new writers about writing poems.
I know what you want from me.
While interning at Weight Watchers magazine last summer, I thought the most exciting moment of my magazine career was when I received the opportunity to write about products that help women through menopause for the September 2008 issue. As I was busy gathering information for my piece, the editors were in the process of re-designing the magazine. Toward the end of my internship, they asked the other summer intern and me to write a column for every issue of 2009; we would follow the Weight Watchers program, write about our experiences and have a photo shoot for each issue.
As we said our last goodbyes, sighs and sad faces rang from the Seventeen magazine fashion closet. The fall 2008 semester was over, and it was time for the 18 fall interns who kept the closet in tip-top shape to part ways. However, we promised to keep in touch and try our hardest to see each other as often as possible. At the time, I wondered if the long, gripping hugs and never-ending pictures taken on that late December night would be our last memory of each other. Thankfully, I was wrong.