Anna Montagner (she/her), Literary Studies
Research
Project Description
I moved from my home country, Italy, to New York City because I had always dreamed of gaining an education that would have shaped me not only as a student but as a person as well. I chose to study at The New School because this university offered me the possibility to engage in courses that would go beyond the standard undergraduate curriculum, while being surrounded by an international population of peers. Moreover, being part of New York City meant being able to support my education with professional experiences, such as the internship I was able to secure for the Fall semester this year.
I am currently a Social Media Intern at L’OFFICIEL USA, where I work 18 hours a week, performing a variety of tasks. At the beginning of my internship, I was only responsible for simple tasks, such as creating captions for the magazine’ Twitter and Facebook profiles. As I gained more experience, I started to help create captions and content with Photoshop for the Instagram profile as well, and the Facebook profile for L’OFFICIEL France. Moreover, I joined the editorial team in pitching ideas for new articles, transcribing recorded interviews, and suggesting questions for a scheduled conversation with an artist.
What Form will your Final Project Take?
Paper.
Who was supporting you in with work?
Throughout my internship, I was supported by Jenna Campolieta, who led my Internship Seminar at Lang, and Professor Alison Kinney who is my Writing professor and has been my recommender for the award. At my internship, I was supported by my supervisor, Sophie Shaw, who is an Associate Editor at L’OFFICIEL Magazine.
How has this project has been impactful or transformative — for you personally or for those this work has impacted:
During my time at Lang, I have learned that in order to discover what is the right fit for me, I have to explore the professional field first-hand. Having the opportunity to test out what it means to work for a fashion magazine while still being at school has been extremely beneficial. As a matter of fact, this internship offered me the time and space to really understand what I’m passionate about, and what I might want to pursue in my future career.
I purposely decided to apply to the Social Media Internship at L’OFFICIEL because I wanted to gain skills that would have helped me grow as a professional. As a Literary Studies student, in fact, my classes mostly focus on writing and editing–both of which are my real passions. With my position at L’OFFICIEL, I wanted to gain social media skills, learn how to write captivating captions and create engaging content with Photoshop. I knew that putting myself in a new environment would have forced me to learn quickly how to perform these tasks, in order to successfully contribute to the magazine.
Moreover, I wanted to exit my comfort zone and put myself in a situation where I was not good at what I was required to do. Only by letting myself be out in the professional world, I was able to test the knowledge I had acquired at The New School and implement it with new skills. Working at L’OFFICIEL has taught me that, even if I discover that the job might not be the right fit for me, I can still successfully complete the job and respect my commitment. The secret, in fact, is knowing that there is always something to learn and some new skills to walk away with. In particular, I learned to focus on specific and personal goals I could reach during my time at the magazine. For example, because my job was often very repetitive, I focused on the only variable I could improve, which was speed. Now, I can definitely say that I am comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines. Perhaps it is doing something we don’t like and pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zones the best way to learn something new.
What would you do differently? How would you advise a student who is going to do something similar?
I would advise them to be specific in terms of what they want to get out of the internship, and how the position can help them grow professionally. I would suggest they write down personal goals for each day at work. Visualizing them helps to make them reachable. Also, I would suggest they focus on what they don’t know and work to find a solution, or develop a new skill. Ultimately, if you’re working in a team of interns (like I was), focus on your job and always offer positive help.
Are you going to publish or print your work? If so, where?
No.
Short summary
My working experience at L’OFFICIEL Magazine helped me explore one of the career paths that I was considering for my future. As a matter of fact, as a current junior at Lang, I am starting to reflect on potential professional transitions after my time at Lang. My Social Media Internship at L’OFFICIEL helped me acquire new skills quickly, grow as a professional, and ultimately clarify what steps I might want to take after graduation. Moreover, participating in the Internship Seminar Course and reflecting on my job with other students helped me show up at work with a positive attitude.