While many lucky Elon students were off scuba diving in Australia or parading the streets of New York City, I spent my summer at home – but hey, don’t pity me yet. I had a pretty cool experience of my own – one that really gave me a good idea of what I’d like to do when real life catches up to me after graduation.
My summer was spent interning at Charlotte Magazine in my hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina. As a Print Journalism major, I know I want to do something in the publishing world, but I just wasn’t quite sure if magazines would be my forte. The endless emailing, phone call making and fact checking can be a daunting task for anyone, especially when you have to do it for every single section of the magazine. But aside from the infamous grunt work, I fell in love with my job, and I now know that I definitely want to be on the editorial staff of a city magazine in the near future.
Lucky for me, Charlotte Magazine’s content centers on all my favorite aspects of life – shopping, arts & entertainment, dining and the stories of the interesting people that make Charlotte such a unique place. While I didn’t get to attend any exclusive parties or talk to anyone particularly famous (oh, the stereotypes that come with working for a magazine), I did get to do things that I really enjoyed. I wrote a food review of five restaurants that Charlotte locals love. I got to interview the owner of a new upholstery shop and learn more about a hands-on art form that I didn’t know anything about previously. I even got to interview local newlyweds for a wedding feature that goes into every issue of the magazine’s sister publication, Charlotte Wedding, giving me a special glimpse into the most precious moments of another person’s life.
My internship may not have been the most glamorous way to spend my summer, but I certainly learned a lot and had a ton of fun. I’m ready to see where my experience will take me in my career, but wherever I end up, I know that I want to continue having the opportunity to dabble in all sorts of topics to showcase what makes a place special. Maybe next summer I’ll get to shop on Fifth Avenue or swim with dolphins – but for now, I had plenty of fun just exploring my own backyard.