Strategic Communication Major, Intern with Columbus CEO magazine

Initially, I felt very intimidated by my internship with Columbus CEO. This being my first internship, I had no idea what to expect. Even getting to the internship was a source of anxiety for me. My brain ends at COTA bus routes. The first day, I called a friend to pick me up because I couldn’t figure out how to get home. Luckily, that problem was solved one day later. In fact, in less than one month I have found myself slipping into a comfortable and enjoyable routine in the newsroom.

The Columbus CEO team has made me feel very welcome. I appreciate the atmosphere here and am grateful for the trust given to me to perform the tasks needed to make a magazine issue.

Columbus CEO
The magazine functions like a wave breaking. Ideas turn into stories and culminate at the end of the month during deadline week. Each month is a swell. Now begins a new one with the gathering of stories from freelance writers, shoots and interviews, collecting data, brainstorming for some smaller pieces and writing.

As the wave crashes, final edits are made and then final, final ones. A cover page is chosen and the whole thing is looked over by the publisher. The pages are sent digitally to the company that prints the magazine and everybody breathes out.

My role
I have many roles in these processes. For example, each person on the team is responsible for making edits to the pieces. Sometimes that means a comma removal and sometimes it means cutting lines of writing to make the piece fit on the page. Once edits have been made to the initial word document, they are sent to design and formatted as they will appear in print. After that, the pieces are edited many, many more times. I knew I liked to write. Now I know I also like to edit.

Additionally, I fact-check and face-check, write, post blog articles to the website and weed through email. In August, I will attend an awards event.

For the June issue, I was given the opportunity to write a piece in the Briefing section of the magazine. I just received a copy today. Reading “By Chloe Teasley” at the top of the shiny page is a thrill.

Moving forward
I am excited to see how my experiences and skills will have evolved at the end of the summer. I know this internship will provide me with skills that will be sought after in the workforce. Lastly, I have discovered through my time here that this is what I want to keep doing, which is the most valuable thing I have gained so far.

Meet all of the 2016 summer intern bloggers and read about their experiences.