Category Archives: Elisabeth

Sophomore Year in Review: Building Confidence

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*Editors note: This post was written just before finals week. It seems like a long time ago already, yes?

Finals week has not even begun yet, and life feels like such a whirlwind right now. Since I’ll be studying abroad next semester in Copenhagen, I guess I’m feeling a little nostalgic. I think about Sophomore-me in September, and how much has changed since then. I have grown into a more mature young woman, who is more confident in her abilities, and not afraid to take advantage of opportunities. But, I definitely could not have achieved so much all on my own. I have a whole support group of people to be grateful for. As I navigate my time here at college, I have found there to be some truly amazing individuals who are willing to help guide me on my journey.

Some of you may be curious what the result of last week’s self-designed Writing major issue is. I still am waiting for the committee to reconsider my proposal, which they will do at a meeting next week. However, in the meantime the Scripps community has shown their support for my major. After meeting with a few concerned Writing students last weekend, we wrote a petition for the Scripps community to sign in support of self-designed majors and minors, addressing some of the changes that had been proposed by the Faculty Executive Committee at Scripps. Over 400 individuals signed the petition in support of our concerns. This has been encouraging, and I am proud of how the Scripps community has come together to voice their opinions. Moreover, I am grateful to Professor Drake, because without her dedicated help, the major would not be possible. She has supported her students 100 percent of the way.

Last week, I had also had the fortune to give a tour to an editor of a major news outlet because of Rosa, a mentor I have through my job at the Office of Communication and Marketing at Scripps. While on the tour, I was able to ask questions about journalism and learn about what a job as an editor entails. This gave me a great opportunity to network for future journalism opportunities. However, I would not have been able to have such a great opportunity without Rosa’s support. Earlier this year, she also encouraged me to write articles for national media outlets including The Huffington Post. I have always known that I love to write; but Rosa taught me to not be afraid to share my writing with others and to take advantage of writing opportunities.

As I began my Sophomore year, I still was not sure if a self-designed Writing major would be right for me. My family, friends, and boyfriend all encouraged me to pursue what it was that made me the happiest. For me, that’s writing. It’s always been writing. And yet, it took me a while to be able to say with confidence: “I’m going to be a self-designed Writing major.” Through the help of others, I am not afraid of what the future has in store for me.

Proud to be a Self-Designed Writing Major.

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Ever since deciding to become a self-designed writing major, I’ve dealt with skepticism on occasion from friends, family members, and acquaintances. Aren’t you afraid you won’t be successful? You can’t beat J.K. Rowling, that’s impossible! What’s your backup plan? That’s reassuring.

In the past, I’ve politely been able to deal with such statements with a smile, and an explanation of how I am interested in journalism, publishing, or maybe even being an author some day. (Gasp! The horror!)

I have no doubts; I’m happy to be following my passion for writing. I hope everyone can follow his or her passion. I don’t want to follow my backup plan. I did not, however, expect this same skepticism to come from my own college. But, when I received a letter stating that my proposal for my self-designed Creative Non-Fiction Writing major had been rejected, this is precisely what happened.

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love, talks about doubts that others have about writers in her TED Talk “Your elusive creative genius.” She describes how when she told people she wanted to be a writer, she was met with the same skepticism. She further explains how after writing Eat, Pray, Love, which later was turned into a movie, she was met with even more doubt from others about her ability to write additional successful works in the future. She asks an important question in her talk:

“What is it specifically about creative ventures, that seems to make us really nervous about each other’s mental health, in a way that other careers kinda don’t do?”

The question is part joke, part truth. She makes the valid point that we tend to only cast doubt on creative careers, rather than careers based in mathematical or scientific fields, like chemical engineers. And yet, everyone has the potential to be successful or to fail. So why do we believe that all writers, or other creative individuals, are doomed to fail?

Meg Cabot, who wrote The Princess Diaries, which later became one of my favorite childhood films, gives advice to aspiring writers on her website. Some of it isn’t all that encouraging. She writes:

“Don’t tell people you want to be a writer. Everyone will try to talk you out of choosing a job with so little security, so it is better just to keep it to yourself, and prove them all wrong later.”

The saddest part is, I know this to be true.

But back to my self-designed Creative Non-Fiction Writing major: at first I was shocked to find out that my proposal had been rejected, and began to have some doubts about my own future. I know writing is what I want to study, but to have my proposal rejected definitely wounded my own self-confidence. After meeting with my adviser, however, I quickly regained this confidence. I know what my passions are, and I know that I will follow them. Sometimes obstacles can show up, like a rejection to an initial proposal. But these can be overcome; I will resubmit an improved proposal, with some changes and additions. So, what have I learned? Never give up on the things you believe in most. I know myself better than anyone else, so why doubt myself just because others do? I am proud to be a writer.

 

Journey to (free)lance writing

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Life as a writer (or a wanna-be professional writer) can be tough. Sometimes I feel like writing well is one of the most undervalued skills. Why? Everyone wants you to write for free!!!

What I don’t want my professional writing life to look like!

Despite this, I haven’t given up hope, yet. Ever since working in the Communication and Marketing Office at Scripps, I knew that writing was something I could do professionally, and not just in my personal journal. I started out writing articles and press releases for the office, and even doing some event planning. I had a fun time putting my writing skills to use. This year, I am also helping to write articles for the Scripps magazine and I further chose to work as a video production specialist, in order to broaden my skillset. Over the past two years, I have learned practical skills from my on-campus job that I hope to be able to use while interning this summer, as well as for future jobs.

However, next year I am going to be abroad. As this dawns on me more and more, I realize how much I will miss working for the Communication and Marketing Office. I know I want to continue to execute the challenging and creative work that I have been able to do while working at here at Scripps.  So what’s my plan?

I’m not exactly sure. I do know that I want to get into freelance writing.  But this isn’t as easy as it sounds, especially as it’s paid freelance writing that I’m after. This past week, I’ve started my search for a job, but many websites that promise to provide job postings require some sort of payment on my part—always a red flag for me.  After many hours of frustration (and wanting to yell at the Internet), I happened to talk to a classmate in one of my English classes. We were talking about jobs, and she mentioned she had gotten a freelance writing position out of pure luck.

How?

She was discovered off of her personal website. The employers liked what they saw on her site, and offered her the job. Pretty cool, right? So, instead of purely dedicating myself to finding a needle in the haystack of the Internet, I’ve decided to also let the Internet find me.  In the next weeks, I hope I can start marketing myself online through a personal site as well, and maybe put out some other social media feelers as well. After all, you never know how you might make a connection.

Do you have experience in freelance writing or virtual internships? Feel free to share if you have had similar struggles or if you have additional tips.

The Devil Wears What? Fashion 101

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So, I got the internship. (Yay!) But now that the celebratory glow has worn off a bit, it has finally begun to sink in. I got it…so, now what?

This will be my first time working for a major media company, and getting the internship isn’t enough. It’s about succeeding on the job, impressing my boss, and furthering connections.  You might still be asking, why is she stressing out?? I’m not just working for any media company—I’m working in the marketing department of a major fashion magazine.  The magazine blends fashion, beauty, and lifestyle topics, but the emphasis is definitely on fashion.

I’m feeling a bit like Andrea Sachs, the main character in The Devil Wears Prada.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with the book or film, it is based on a true story, and follows a young woman (Andrea) as she works as an assistant for one of New York’s most important fashion magazine editors.  While Andrea’s dream is to work for The New Yorker, she enters the world of fashion as a stepping-stone into the magazine industry.

Having never worked in the fashion industry before, this will definitely be new territory for me.  I want to prepare before I get there so that I can be more valuable to the company. This means regularly reading my magazine’s website, fashion magazines, and fashion blogs.  Sounds hard, right?  I’ll admit, I’ve had a lot of fun exploring the fashion world so far, and I’m looking forward to learning on the job as well.  Last weekend, I did a little shopping to update my wardrobe, but I’m also saving up for when I am abroad.  Because my internship is unpaid, I can’t afford to spend tons of cash on new clothes.  But, I can get inspiration from fashion literature, and a little accessorizing can go a long way.

So, what is appropriate workwear for a fashion magazine? Good question. When I went in for my interview at the magazine’s headquarters in Germany, I also got to see a lot of the people who work there passing by. There doesn’t seem to be a clear dress code, but rather people develop their own styles, which could mean anything from wearing sneakers and jeans to a suit.  It’s all about being well put together and pulling off your chosen look.

Curious about what’s been inspiring me on my fashion journey? I’ll share some finds with you:

Cupcakes and Cashmere

Besides the fact that a Scripps alumna (Emily Schuman ’05) created this blog, she features posts on food and fashion. What’s not to like?

The Cherry Blossom Girl

This is probably one of the more cutesy blogs I’ve found and her outfits are simply charming. And as a bonus, she is French, which lets me practice my French language skills while reading her blog.

The Man Repeller

This blog always makes me laugh. It started out as a blog to feature outfits that would repel men, but evolved into an influential fashion blog with eccentric pieces.

Enjoy, and let me know what you think! Do you have other suggestions, or similar issues figuring out what to wear to work?

Krunk Fu Battle Battle

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As I’m writing this blog post now, I still have some remnants of the song Krunk Fu Battle Battle stuck in my head. What’s that?

Krunk Fu Battle Battle. Yes. You heard me correctly. I decided to take the night off after a busy day of work and three classes. Because it’s been one of those weeks (you know, the ones where no matter how hard you work, something new keeps getting added to your plate).  I took advantage of a free theater ticket given to me as a student taking a theater class at Pomona, and went to see the play with a friend.

Caution ***Spoiler Alert***

I’ll explain the play for those of you who are unfamiliar with it. Krunk Fu Battle Battle is about a boy, Norman Lee, who moves from Hong Kong to Brooklyn, and finds himself bullied, so he challenges the bullies to a battle of hip hop dancing.  If he wins, he will become King of his high school’s blacktop.

After practicing for weeks, Norman falls at the “battle.” He isn’t the better dancer. But after encouragement from his friends and family, he decides not to give up. He doesn’t play on the bully’s terms. And so, he gets up to dance again and ends up winning the title of King.

Nice ending, right?

I left Krunk Fu Battle Battle feeling more inspired, and much less stressed and dejected than when I had initially entered the theatre. As a sophomore, I often find that I’m having to prove myself. This week, I had several meetings scheduled, on top of my work and school schedule, in order to meet with advisers to get forms signed to declare my major. Because I want to be a self-designed writing major, this means extra work for me in writing a petition.

Don’t get me wrong. I have written stories ever since the age of five, when I got my first journal, and after years of doubt about whether I can actually study writing in college, or even make a career out of it, I am thrilled to be finally declaring my major.  It feels right. It’s just that sometimes, like Norman, I feel like I can’t get up. It’s hard when you feel there will always be another challenge to overcome, another meeting to schedule, another stellar paper to write, and all of this on top of having to keep up a social life.

And yes, while I don’t have to stress about finding a summer internship this summer, I now have other worries, like what is appropriate dress for work, how do I impress my boss while interning at a major media company…basically, how to keep my internship! (See future posts about this…)

Now, every time I feel like giving up, I’ll have Norman Lee to thank. I’ll think of Krunk Fu Battle Battle as my personal mantra to keep me going.  Those finals and deadlines approaching in the coming weeks thought they had me scared…but this girl is fighting until the end.