Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at Her Campus NYU? This week, we’re launching a Profile series featuring a group of special campus celebrites: our very own Her Campus NYU editors! These are the grammar queens with the brilliant ideas, social media prowress and killer editing skills. From brainstorming pitches, editing articles, leading staff meetings and hosting on-campus events, these women do it all! Stay tuned in the upcoming weeks for more articles dedicated to our Spring 2016 Her Campus’ Editorial Staff.
In a Nutshell
Name: Madison Fraser
School: Gallatin ‘17
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Major/Concentration: Journalism/Digital Media
HC NYU: When did you join the HC NYU team and why did you decide to apply?
MF: I joined Her Campus NYU the very first week of my freshman year. I was extremely eager to get involved with as many school publications as I could, but I ended up finding that Her Campus actually fit my voice the best. I love to write service pieces on fashion, beauty, and nutrition and Her Campus NYU really gave me the platform to do that.
HC NYU: What kind of responsibilities do you have at HC NYU?
MF: As the Campus Correspondent of HC NYU, I oversee all the content that goes on the site, and I give every article a final top edit after our editors have looked over them. In conjunction with our other campus correspondent, I also hold two to three meetings a semester for our writers, and help brainstorm pitches.
HC NYU: You’ve interned at places like Cosmopolitan, NYLON, Harper’s BAZAAR and Redbook. Out of all of these, which one was your favorite?
MF: Hmm…that’s definitely a hard question to answer! I loved working at Cosmopolitan.com and [currently working at] Redbookmag.com because I got a lot of opportunities to write original articles and build my portfolio. Specifically, at Redbook I get to write a lot about food, and who doesn’t love that? Ha.
I would have to say the one internship I enjoyed the most, though, was working at Harper’s BAZAAR. I was a beauty intern there, meaning I spent a lot of time in the beauty closet and researching makeup, hair and skin care trends. Not only was it fun to organize and play with all the new products that came in, but as a science nerd, I think I really loved getting to learn about the medical sides of dermatology and fitness/nutrition. I literally stayed there as long as I could (over 6 months) until Hearst [the corporation] was like, OK your semester is over, you have to leave. Haha.
HC NYU: What do you plan on doing after graduation? Do you still want to work in editorial?
MF: Oh gosh – the dreaded graduation question. I’m most likely going to go to graduate school for Nutrition/Dietetics so I can become a Registered Dietician, and hopefully freelance write for publications on the side. I’m not in a rush to jump into school right away though, because I’d probably get pretty burnt out, so I might work full time for a year or two before I go back for my masters. So, yeah I guess after graduation I’ll try to get a job in editorial at a magazine or website!
HC NYU: What are some of your interests or hobbies?
MF: I feel like I do really weird things in my free time, haha. Besides binge watching Netflix (which I do a lot), I try to read as much as I can. I’ll read anything really, non-fiction or fiction, as long as it’s interesting. I’m also one of those people that’s low-key obsessed with young adult books, so I tend to sway towards that genre a lot.
When I want to relax, I’ll color (it’s so therapeutic!), or play games. My boyfriend recently introduced me to this card game called Dominion, and they have an online version of it for your computer, so I’ll play a lot with him over the web. It’s sort of a nerdy game, but it’s addicting once you learn how to master it. I also obsessively check that Neko Atsume cat collector app game that everyone can’t stop playing….so there’s that, too hahah.
HC NYU: What is something you’ve been really proud of lately?
MF: I recently got my first article published on Seventeen, and I was really excited because it was kind of an issue that was near and dear to my heart. It got more views than any other article I’ve written freelance before, so I was really happy with its outcome.
HC NYU: What is a book you recently read that changed your life?
MF: This is really convenient, because I literally just read one of the most life-changing books– When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. I can’t stop ranting about it to anyone who will listen. Basically, it’s a memoir written by a late neurosurgeon fellow at Stanford who was in his 30s when he got diagnosed with stage four lung cancer out of the blue. Kalanithi is a really beautiful and really powerful writer, and he talks a lot about what it’s like to work hard your whole life to reach a goal (in his case, becoming a successful doctor) and then to be told that your life is about to end before you even got to accomplish it. I recommend that anyone interested in medicine, or life in general, read it.
And a few more fun facts…
Most recent Netflix binge: Fuller House. No shame.
Favorite cheesy pick-up line: “Wanna go manage some mischief together? I solemnly swear I’m up to no good.” (I love Harry Potter. Sorry.)
Dream travel destination: Road-tripping the entirety of the West Coast, starting in Southern Cali and ending in Vancouver.
Most bizarre talent: I literally have zero talents, except I can do this weird grudge voice that really freaks out my friends. If you’ve ever spent more than a few hours with me, chances are I’ve done it for you.
Favorite quote: “If you wish to be loved, love.” I have a tattoo of it in Latin on my shoulder.
Follow Madison on social media: Facebook / Instagram / Twitter
Photos courtesy of Lucy Helena Photography