An Auburn journalism major and alumna in journalism took their love of fashion to a new level when they managed to land internships at their favorite New York magazines.
Christy Key, senior in journalism, interned at Marie Claire last summer. She worked with Jenna Blaha, assistant to Nina Garcia, creative director and judge on the fashion TV show “Project Runway.”
“I’ve always loved fashion, but I’ve never thought about going into it,” Key said. “I thought it’s one of those careers that’s really hard to get into.”
Working closely with Garcia, Key received opportunities other interns didn’t.
Rather than specializing in one area of fashion, Key said she had a well-rounded experience. She researched the cover girl, gave mock-ups to Garcia and retrieved clothes from designer studios. She even visited the “Project Runway” set.
Because Blaha was transitioning from assistant to editor, Key was also able to help write.
Key said the internship changed her perception of journalism as broader than hard news.
“Being there, I had a whole new respect for it, a new respect for the industry,” Key said. “It’s a billion-dollar industry for a reason. Once I was there and saw that everything they do — the everyday — I knew I could do this forever. It was just one of those clicking moments.”
Key said the environment also inspired her.
“Everyone is so ambitious, and it makes you be ambitious too,” Key said. “A lot of the people I was interning with (were) freshmen and sophomores interning at New York Magazine, Nylon, Marie Claire, Elle. But it just pushes you to work hard and be better and you realize how much you want it.”
According to Key, Garcia specifically taught her about professionalism.
“She teaches you a lot about to be a good editor, what it means for people to respect you,” Key said. “She does a really good job of being opinionated and being honest about things for the better of the magazine, so I think that taught me how, professionally, you want people to see you.”
Key said persistence was vital in her job.
“I very much had to take it on myself,” Key said. “You’re not going to get everything and just don’t get discouraged. Just keep trying because eventually it’ll work out for you.”
Auburn alumna Melody Kitchens also interned in New York for Nylon magazine.
Kitchens’ love for the magazine roots back to middle and high school. Kitchens said it was her dream to intern there, so she researched the magazine, and after graduating in August 2013, she interned there until January 2014.
Kitchens worked with the editorial side of the magazine, mainly copy editing and transcribing. She said she would pitch story ideas as much as she could and even had the opportunity to write three articles in the magazine.
“I learned that magazines have their own style of writing,” Kitchens said. “Taking advantage of just asking (editors) to give you feedback is one of the biggest things. You have your own style in there too, but I think it’s good to be open to lots of feedback.”
Kitchens said writing for the magazine was her favorite part of the internship.
“Being able to see it come to life on the page, like every journalist loves to see their work transform into an article or whatever it might be, I think that’s always a great feeling,” Kitchens said.
Kitchens said she encourages others to be persistent and create a standout résumé.
“Think of a way to set yourself apart,” Kitchens said. “Be personal, nice and friendly, not cut and dry. For fashion magazines where people make a lifestyle magazine, it’s not very formal. You want to act like you’re a real person behind that email.”
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