Journalism was never not an option for me. When I was younger, I created little chapter books myself, complete with terrible illustrations (I’m a writer, not an artist). I took my first journalism class freshmen year of high school and found comfort in taking a class that I felt was going to propel me forward in my career. I joined the school paper and worked my way up to being a section editor. I fell in love with the chaos of production nights and admired how so many people with so many different, individual talents came together to create a product that made us proud. And trust me, we were–our paper won statewide awards year after year. 

So writing was always the goal for me. I looked for schools that had specifically journalism programs (not just communications with a single journalism class), and I found my perfect fit in Indiana University of Pennsylvania. I sought out the newspaper right away and went from being staff writer to news editor to managing editor to now planning my senior year as editor-in-chief. 

I came across ASME by chance. A girl I worked with at a summer camp went through the internship program in 2018, so I got to follow her journey via Instagram (hey, Sarah!). I applied without thinking I would actually get it, but here I am, sitting in my NYU dorm room in Manhattan and dwelling on my time at Family Circle. At the time I didn’t understand what an honor I had been given. I didn’t know the network of professionals I would have access to or the opportunities I would be presented with. My first event was attending a dinner hosted by Panera, trying the new dinner menu it would be testing at select locations. It was filling and delicious, and I got sent home with a goodie bag of classic Panera desserts. I helped organize products in a giant beauty closet in order to hold a beauty sale. And most recently, I’ve been calling in products for a Christmas gift guide. Every day I watched the Pinterest account that I run creep closer and closer to 100,000 followers, a goal I hope is met by the time I leave. More than simply doing work around the office, I made real connections with my editors. They always made sure I wasn’t too busy or overworked.

I know ASME and Family Circle have prepared me well for my future writing endeavors. I’ve never been so excited to update my resume. I can now add that I’ve fact-checked stories, written for both print and online, assisted with (and been in) photoshoots, planned social media content, contacted public relations for brands, and refreshed online content to be SEO friendly. I get to take back social media and story ideas to my school paper and practice everything I’ve been learning for the past two and a half months. I’ll look back at the notes I took during our group meetings and remember sitting down and talking with editors from ProPublica, The New Yorker, Esquire, Travel + Leisure, Twitter, and more. Thanks to the ASME internship, I can go into my senior year feeling more secure about my future after graduation because it equipped me with the skills and resources I need to succeed.