University of South Florida student Michelle Assaad joined Her Campus to pursue her passion for journalism.
What is your major and year in school? “I am a fifth year senior. I changed my major a lot, which led to this delay. My current major is international studies with a minor in English, although I really wish I had kept my journalism major. It fits my personality better; I have always wanted to be a Vogue editor or writer.”
What is your hometown? “Tampa is my hometown. I have lived here since I was five. Before that I lived in Caracas, Venezuela. I consider Tampa my home though because it is where I have spent the majority of my life. I have only been back to Caracas once and don’t really want to visit again. It is really unorganized.”
Do you currently have a job? If so, what do you do? “I do. I was just recently hired as a developmental editor at a book publishing company. I edit the work of the writers. I do the mechanical editing, which includes spelling, grammar and paragraph formation, and then check the flow of the story. I give suggestions as to what to change and ask the writer to clarify things. I am also an editor at a magazine that I founded with my best friend called Labelle. It covers mostly literary work but we have some articles and photography in it too.”
What has been your favorite class at USF so far? “I really enjoyed International Human Rights. I took it last spring with Dr. Roach. The class opened my eyes a lot to issues that are happening as we speak. I don’t know if I actually enjoyed being in the class, or if I just appreciated it because of what I learned.
Besides Her Campus, what organizations are you involved in? “I am involved in the UN@USF club, Amnesty International and the Creative Writers club.”
What do you hope to do right after graduation? “Right after graduation I plan on going to graduate school for journalism either at Florida State University or New York University. I figure that if I want to be in the book or magazine publishing world, I have to go to New York City. However, I am not a big fan of NYC, so I kind of want to lay low in Florida for another two years.”
What is your favorite fashion trend? “I have so many it’s hard to narrow it down. I love the direction that fashion is headed in right now. The feminine form is back and finally women can wear skirts and dresses without being asked why they are dressing so fancy. That is honestly my favorite trend; that dresses and skirts are making a comeback. I am also in love with high-low items and ombre hair.”