Lilly Workneh: From High School Newspaper to CNN.com

Lilly Workneh went from being the features editor of her high school newspaper to a features intern for CNN.com, but her accomplishments won’t stop there. Workneh, a senior publication management and consumer journalism major from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, has made the most of her time at UGA. Her hard work and love for journalism has earned her indelible journalism experience and an impressive résumé.  

As a sophomore, she was secretary for the UGA Chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists and founder of The Showcase, a publication created to showcase the work of NABJ members and inform the UGA community. It started as a two-page newsletter and became a 20 page magazine. The Showcase is now a blog on the NABJ website.  

“Originally it started out as a newsletter that would be sent out once a week,” Workneh says. “Then I realized, why would I do it by myself  when other staff members could be involved and get writing experience…people could learn from each other and learn about writing and reporting and editing and the basics of journalism.”

Last summer she was one of 30 students selected from around the country to participate in the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) internship program where she was an editorial intern for InStyle magazine in New York City.

“The program is garnered to getting college students that were interested in magazines and giving them a glimpse of what it’s like to work at a magazine,” Workneh says.

Aside from fact-checking and editing stories for InStyle, she attended luncheons with top editors of magazines like Glamour, The New Yorker and Good Housekeeping to name a few. She also met John Huey, the editor-in-chief of Time Inc. and UGA alum.  

Workneh has also written for the entertainment, technology and health sections of CNN.com as a features intern where she formatted previously written stories for the website and even had the chance to write her own stories—three of which were featured on the CNN homepage.

It’s her last semester at the university, but she keeps herself immersed in what she loves. She is currently a Grady Ambassador, a PR intern at the Athens Regional Library, vice-president of the Magazine Club, and editor-in-chief of InfUSion magazine, UGA’s first multicultural publication.

In her future, she would like to use her print journalism skills and apply them to the world of digital media.

“Eventually I want to take up a media management position,” Workneh says. “Part of me wants to go into more of the online realm, possibly be the editor of an online publication or the online version of an established publication. Like a digital media editor. I want to include more of the technological side of things too.”

With all of her experience in the field of journalism, she was more than happy to share a few tips for aspiring journalists:

• Have an inquisitive mind. Be naturally curious about things and always want to know more.
• Read constantly. Know different styles of writing and build your vocabulary. It helps you to be well-rounded.
• Get as much experience as possible. Never turn down an opportunity that you could potentially learn from. It’s best for you to always be involved.