Take a look at our mid-summer intern reflections!
Madeleine Janz, World Wildlife Magazine
I never thought I would be tackling stories on seaweed farming, tiger conservation, and
the future of agriculture all in one day but at World Wildlife that's exactly what I'm doing. Over the past 5 weeks, I have undertaken print magazine production in InCopy, fielded pitches, edited stories, and built web stories for our CMS. It's been incredibly busy but also wonderfully fulfilling. I always knew I was interested in the climate crisis (I mean, hello, who isn't) but I didn't think I could make a sustainable job out of it. I thought I would be too hopeless for the role or that the job itself would make me more hopeless about the state of our planet, wildlife, and human rights. On the contrary, working with inspiring conservationists, scientists, and journalists across the organization has shown me that reporting on the climate crisis is an amazing way to channel hopelessness into hope! I have learned a lot in this internship about focusing on solutions journalism and how truly the pen is a mighty weapon against injustice. I'm excited to continue at World Wildlife for the next half of the summer and hone my reporting, writing, editing, and print production skills as I go.
This internship has also opened a lot of avenues for me to network with fellow interns, past ASME interns, and inspiring individuals who spoke at our orientation or our weekly lunches. It has been amazing to learn from these accomplished folks and get the opportunity to connect with them 1-on-1 about my career aspirations and their advice for young journalists. I can't wait to continue making connections!
Lizzy Reisinger, Business of Home
Wow, I can’t believe we are already more than a month into our internships! This experience has really showed me the different roles of each person in a masthead and has taught me that I value feedback and communication from my co-workers. Thankfully, Business of Home (BOH) has given me the opportunity to work on projects in every sector of the publication. From working in the website’s backend to reaching out to interior designs to interview, I’m learning that it takes a village - a very detail-oriented village - to run a magazine.
In terms of a day to day routine, I’ve learned that’s it’s essential to take breaks and get outside. Whether it’s a walk around the block or just sitting outside to enjoy lunch, unplugging for 10-15 minutes makes a huge difference and leaves you feeling recharged and ready to take on the next task!
I’m excited to see our print Summer Issue and for the next month as BOH prepares for their annual event Future of Home in September (in-person)!!!
Carol Lee, Food Network & Pioneer Woman Magazine
Writing about food has never really been my thing, so imagine my surprise when I got matched with Food Network Magazine. As soon as I got my assignment, I entered into a nervous frenzy, reading Food Network recipes and trying to get on food TikTok as if my life depended on it. I was convinced that the Food Network editors would quiz me on past issues and that my lack of expertise would brand me a fraud.
But of course, my first day did not consist of a comprehensive knowledge check. Instead, it began with a status meeting during which I met all of the lovely editors on the Food Network features team, who all offered what I imagine to be the warmest of any welcomes any magazine intern has ever received. I then jumped right in with a transcription of an interview of Amy Thielen on her home kitchen. I thought to myself, “Okay. This I can do.”
And I did it! Even though the task was small, it was all very self-confidence-boosting and reminded me that instead of working myself into a lather before each workday, I just need to take things day-by-day. As Food Network’s features editor Erica Finamore says, “I believe in myself.”
Sydney Gold, Ad Age
From my first day as an ASME intern, I’ve had the opportunity to grow as a journalist and learn from admirable, supportive colleagues. While I am fortunate enough to study journalism at my university, most of my undergraduate career has been over zoom. The ability to continue studying at all amidst a pandemic was incredible, but I still worried that I was missing out on lessons I would need to launch my career post-grad. ASME gifted me the perfect opportunity to dive into a working, global newsroom and test my skills at a higher level.
ASME goes above and beyond to nurture its interns. It’s not just about placing you at a magazine but building a network of peers and mentors who can help you navigate the magazine industry. It’s impossible to lose steam or inspiration when you’re meeting with editors and creators from some of the most well-known publications in the world once a week. It is impossible to feel completely lost when you know you have a network of other interns to reach out to with questions. As we look towards the second half of the program, I hope to continue developing these relationships, as well as my professional skills, alongside the incredible team at Ad Age.
Teresa Xie, Inc.
It’s crazy to think that I am approaching the fifth week of my internship with ASME at Inc., because I feel both like I just started working here and I’ve been with the team for much longer than I have. Even though this internship has been fully remote, I have learned an incredible amount not only about writing, but also how newsrooms operate.
Everyone at Inc. has been so welcoming and kind! Every week, I meet at least one new person on the staff, and every one of my conversations have been nothing but genuine. Much of my internship at Inc. entails pitching, writing, and reporting on anything ranging from profiles on founders, trends that are happening right now, as well as interesting stories about companies and local businesses. Although at first it was a bit daunting just being thrown into the internship, I’ve definitely gotten into the swing of things, and now am able to take initiative on stories I want to report on.
Having the ability to highlight underrepresented businesses and voices at such a well-renowned publication has been really rewarding, and I’m really grateful to have the opportunity to do it. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the remainder of my internship, and what projects I’ll be working on next!
Savanna Bous, Fast Company
In 1986, Bon Jovi released one of his most iconic songs, “Living on a Prayer”, featuring the lyric, “Woah, we’re halfway there”. Which is where I currently am in my ASME internship.
My time at Fast Company has been a whirlwind. It’s hard to believe I’m embarking on my sixth week of the program. It’s been incredibly educational, super exciting, and chock full of real experience. I received my first national byline only a few days on the job. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to cover more stories, interview, report, create guides, fact check, and gather information for print and digital. One of the most impactful parts of the internship is the ability to sit in on meetings. It’s fascinating to see how the collaboration leads to finished content.
Even though my time in the ASME program is speeding by, I can’t imagine how fast it would go if it weren’t remote. What would a New York City summer be like compared to a rural Minnesota one? Before summer ends, I hope to be able swing by New York and actually step through the Fast Company office and shake hands (or wave at) the amazing professionals who’ve guided me this summer.
Jenna Wirth, Parents
My internship at Parents has been nothing short of amazing so far! My supervisor, Jessica Hartshorn, is the absolute best! She's always going out of her way to help me. Most days we use Slack's video call feature to chat while doing work to replicate the office in a virtual work environment.
The best part of the internship is working on all areas of the magazine. From crafting social media posts for the @parentseditors Instagram page to interviewing mental health professionals about positive affirmations, I've developed a much better understanding of the inner workings of magazines.
The biggest project I’ve been working on is Parents' annual 2021 toy awards. I've built a spreadsheet of the new toys, matched roughly 50 kids to 300+ toys for testing, attended Toy Insider's annual toy event, Sweet Suite @ Home, and created a virtual presentation using Miro to present reviewers' favorite toys to the editorial team. I've also really enjoyed meeting with the editorial team one-on-one to learn about their career trajectory and position. Their words of wisdom have already helped me to grow and improve personally and professionally.
Estefania Mitre, Poets & Quants
Fifth week of the ASME internship. It is crazy how everyday has gone so fast. I would say though, it has been a crash course in MBA programs and terminology around master programs. I have learned so much from a team that is passionate about their audience, who have taught me the importance of being a compassionate journalist. Working at Poets&Quants had made me step back for a second and learn the value of each word that came out of my keyboard.
One piece of advice that Marc Ethier, the managing editor at Poets&Quants, gave me and has helped throughout this time is: “Put yourself in the mindset of the subject. Imagine reading about yourself as an accomplished person…. include the kind of information you would want to have in a profile of yourself.”
The networking opportunities have been amazing and inspiring, listening to the stories of people who have broken through the industry is encouraging. It also made me realize how everyone’s paths are so different.
Jessica Blough, Alta Journal
Halfway through the ASME internship, and each day, I’m still in awe of my colleagues at Alta Journal and the work I get to do with them everyday. At the beginning of my internship, my managing editor helped me set up one-on-one meetings with everyone on our (small, but mighty) masthead, and these meetings have become a highlight of my summer. I’ve asked my burning questions, including if anyone returns to journalism after working in tech, whether you can make a thriving career in journalism on the West Coast, and what makes a great critical writer. I leave each meeting reeling from the stories I get to hear.
A magazine that is young and print-first seems like an impossible combination in this day and age, especially one that is also eager to explore the digital world and prioritizes a strict editing process. I joke that my time at Alta feels like a dream; each day, I’m excited to get to work. The support and community of ASME and my fellow interns is the cherry on top.
It’s been a joy to work with such a dynamic, intelligent, growing team on producing work that we are proud of, and I’m excited to see what the rest of the summer holds for me and the other ASME interns.
Michael Korsh, Kiplinger's Personal Finance
It’s another day of my ASME internship, and I let out a long yawn before I sign onto my first Google Meet call of the day. Every year, a Kiplinger online editor hosts weekly investing lessons for their interns, teaching the fundamentals of the stock market and economics. The catch? They’re done at 7 a.m., before the market opens at 9:30 EST — and since I’m on Central time, it’s an hour earlier for me.
So, while I’ve sometimes struggled to stay awake on these 6 a.m. calls, I couldn’t be more grateful for them. I don’t have a strong background in finance or investing (except for my required Personal Finance class back in high school), so when I was placed at Kiplinger’s Personal Finance for my ASME internship, I knew I had a big learning curve ahead of me. Full of acronyms and complicated metrics — SPAC, IPO, REITS, MLP, EPS, EBITDA — finance had always seemed too complicated for me to understand.
Now, at the halfway point of my internship, I’ve already become so much more confident in reporting and writing about personal finance. And thanks to my running notes from our investing lessons, I have a trove of knowledge that I know I’ll turn to well beyond my ASME internship. I couldn't be more excited to continue learning at Kiplinger for the second half of my summer — and for even more early-morning investing lessons.
Meara Isenberg, CNET
On the second day of my internship at CNET, I found myself at a Wendy’s location near my house, sampling brightly-colored sodas from a Coca-Cola beverage dispenser.
I’d driven there for a CNET story about Wendy’s new partnership with Adult Swim show, Rick and Morty. The deal involved these highly-caffeinated drinks that had names inspired by the show. My supervisor had encouraged me to track down what the sodas tasted like, (a detail missing from the press release), which had led me to my local Wendy’s.
It was so cool to write up my take on the drinks and see it published on the site. Since then, I’ve had even more chances to write, throw out ideas and add voice to my work. As part of CNET’s Culture team, I work on TV and movie reviews, science stories, viral tweet round-ups and more. My supervisor encourages me to pitch story ideas and take on as many assignments as I can, and I am grateful for all of the opportunities and guidance she has offered me so far.