Anna Montagner (she/her), Literary Studies
Research
An exclusive interview with singer Alexander 23 – I was fully responsible for the interview, and the feature story.
Project Description
I am currently an Editorial Intern at PAPER Magazine, where I work 17 hours a week, performing a variety of tasks. I produce up to 3 news stories daily, pertaining to pop culture, the arts, and politics, and I transcribe and fact-check recorded interviews for the managing editor. Moreover, I had the opportunity to conduct and publish exclusive interviews, an achievement that gave me a lot of responsibilities and yet also allowed me to grow as a professional in this field.
If I look back at the past four years of my life, I feel both scared and excited. Sometimes, being part of New York City and being caught in its excessive run towards realizing your dreams makes you lack perspective. If I stop, take a break and breathe, I actually realize how much I have achieved in these past years. And the most surprising thing is that I have taken paths that I hadn’t even had the chance to anticipate, or imagine. My internship at PAPER Magazine is an example of this. I grew, I changed, and I’m only excited to see what the future holds. I am grateful for the education I received at The New School, which shaped me not only as a student but as a person as well.
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 Advanced 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, Eliza Weinreb, who is an Editor at PAPER 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 explored various professional fields first-hand. Last semester, I was able to test out my knowledge with a social media internship at a fashion magazine, whereas now I am taking the chance to expand my understanding of who I am as a professional with my role as a writer at PAPER Magazine. This internship has been extremely beneficial. As a matter of fact, it 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. Overall, it has really been complementary to my academic experience at The New School.
I decided to apply to the Editorial Internship at PAPER 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 time at PAPER, I had the chance to put to test the knowledge I had acquired at The New School and implement it with new skills. The experience has been extremely educational, as it helped me improve my vocabulary and become a better writer, and it has also been extremely enriching, as I had the opportunity to see my work published with my name on it. Moreover, I was able to build connections not only within the magazine, but also with professionals from other fields that we collaborated with. I tend to be a very shy person, so putting myself out in the real world and showing up in person to the office really helped me understand that I have to speak up more, and make an effort to build relationships with my coworkers. It was very beneficial, personally and professionally, to have the chance to work in person. Working at PAPER has opened my eyes to a professional environment that I’m really interested in, and that might be the place I will want to end up working at after graduation.
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 and that they show up with ideas they might want to pursue with their next articles. Also, I would suggest that they be bold in their writing, and not limit themselves. Your editor will be there to help you find a good balance, so no need to limit yourself in advance.
Are you going to publish or print your work? If so, where?
Yes, on the official website of PAPER Magazine
A collage of some of the articles I wrote for PAPER magazine.
Short summary
During this Spring semester, I was able to explore one of the career paths that I was considering for my future. The internship at PAPER Magazine gave me the amazing opportunity to jump into the real world while still being in school, and still having the support of my professors, and university. As a current junior at Lang, I am starting to reflect on potential professional transitions after my time at The New School. My Editorial Internship at PAPER helped me acquire new skills quickly, grow as a professional, and ultimately clarify what steps I might want to take after graduation. Moreover, it made me gain confidence in myself and trust what I had learned so far at The New School. Finally, participating in the Advanced Internship Seminar Course and reflecting on my job helped me realize how happy I was with my position within the team.