Student Column By Julia Weinstein
I was just expecting to sit in someone’s office all day during my internship at the Advocate and watch them write something. But my experience was very much the opposite.
As a seventh grader at White Rock Montessori, I am required to intern at a workplace of my choosing during the first week of December. When it came time for me to choose my top three sites to reach out to, I was stuck. I had so many ideas of places to choose and couldn’t pick. I remembered that for one of my assignments, I took an online quiz to identify possible job fields that match my personal interests. One of my results was writer/author, and I was immediately drawn to it as writing has always been one of my passions. Many of my assignments in class are to write stories or informative pieces about subjects we are currently studying, and I love to do them. When it comes to writing, I have never had a problem in losing my flow, and I always have an idea of what to say.
Later that night, I was telling my parents how I wanted to intern at a place where writers worked. We began to brainstorm many possible ideas, but none stood out to me until my parents mentioned the Advocate. I recalled how much I enjoyed reading the “Best Of” section and making a plan to eat at all of the restaurants that won. I also loved reading all of the stories throughout the monthly magazine.
The next day, I told one of my teachers how I wanted to intern at the Advocate. Once we confirmed it, I emailed the Advocate, crossed my fingers and waited for a response. I was anxious and scared to get turned down because I really wanted to work there. Then, a couple days later, President/Editor-in-Chief Jehadu Abshiro emailed me and accepted my request. I was thrilled to get an insight of what being a writer might look like. On my first day, I noticed the building’s minimalistic yet colorful interior. As I entered, I was greeted by then-Preston Hollow editor Niki Gummadi, who gave me a tour of the building. When Jehadu arrived, she told me what my week was going to look like, which was that I would be working with different staffers all week and receive tasks daily. It sounded so fun and well thought out. I was happy to have a schedule and that my hosts knew what to do with me. I was so grateful I wouldn’t just be doing someone’s chores for them during my internship.
Each day of the week, I worked with a different member of the Advocate, learning about their jobs and then given a task based on their job field. I met with the Advocate’s writers and editors, plus the creative and artistic directors. I wrote a newsletter about a closing boutique, sat in on an interview about a service dog at St. John’s Episcopal and created ads for an upcoming issue. Every day when I would go home, I would have so much to tell my family. I learned so much about the process of running a local magazine and how it comes together each month, including how stories sometimes fall through and new plans need to be developed.
I am so grateful that I got this opportunity to meet new people and expand my knowledge in this field. If I want to pursue writing in the future, or a different job, I will keep in mind all that I learned from this experience. My favorite part was learning about how all of the different roles work as a team to make the Advocate possible.
