By the end of last year, while all my friends were lining up summer jobs as camp counselors, planning extravagant vacations, or just simply looking forward to having time away from school, I was nervously awaiting a call from a member of the Senior Management Team at the New York Times.
As I sat at my desk, uselessly staring at my phone, I tried to figure out how I was going to deal with yet rejection for an internship. So, when my phone rang and I was told to report to the office ready to work in a month’s time, I was so surprised that I mumbled a shy thank you and hung up without asking for any details. I later found out that, not only was I welcomed at The Times, but they were going to pay me and I was going to get my very own desk (the cubicle ended up being tiny and in the back corner of the office but that was beside the point).
My first few days at The Times were a blur of nerves as I desperately tried to figure out how I got there and how I was going to convince them to let me stay. To be completely honest, I was terrified. However, after I got my sea legs underneath me, I learned that almost all of the world-class reporters I was working with are remarkably approachable and responsive. Everyone was gracious as I learned the ropes and figured out the routine of writing for The Times. I wrote hundreds of employee biographies, a couple of press releases, and countless numbers of emails. Running around the notoriously hectic newsroom as I helped to organize interviews between Times reporters and outside news agencies, there really wasn’t any time to be nervous.
I was at The Times during an uncharacteristically news heavy summer. We covered everything from the horrific shootings in Colorado to Emma Watson’s career and the happenings of the London Olympics; we even announced a new CEO. The New York Times is the company that never stops nestled in the heart of the city that never sleeps. I worked closely with the Corporate Communications department and regularly shepherded calls and emails from agencies like MSNBC and Marketplace wanting to get the scoop directly from The Times.
Now that the summer is officially over and I have to turn my attention to textbooks and chalkboards, I find myself pinning for the hustle and bustle of the 17th floor of The Times. I’ve been exposed to immeasurable talent working so closely with the best reporters in the world, quite a few of which are Barnard alumni (not to fluff our community feathers or anything). Without a doubt, my summer spent in the middle of one of America’s most renowned corporations helping decide what news truly was “fit to print” was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.