4.04.2008

Baltimore magazine


After my tenure as Smithsonian magazine's intern was complete, I had to go back to square one in a lot of ways. I perused my favorite job sites (mediabistro, journalismjobs, ed2010, etc.) and got back in touch with old contacts. Some of those contacts included editors at Baltimore magazine, where I had done an internship in the summer of 2004. In January, I heard back from their managing editor saying that he wanted to talk to me about a new position: associate editor. After an interview and the couple weeks that I spent freelancing, I was hired.

The job is a perfect transition from Smithsonian. I edit a section called "Up Front," which covers local culture, business, trends and other happenings around the city. It has been a lot of fun and a lot of work.

Also, in March 2009, I launched a blog on the magazine's website called "On The Town," where I cover nightlife and entertainment in Baltimore—everything from drink recipes and bar openings to concert reviews and band interviews.

Here is a sampling of my clips:

"Motor Trend," April 2008

































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8.27.2007

Smithsonian magazine


The real-life job hunt was a daunting process for me, and I know I was not alone in my trepidation. There were no openings at my previous publications and nothing, really, seemed to pop up. After a few frustrating interviews, I came across an ad for a six-month internship at Smithsonian magazine and everything began to click. I minored in art history and became very familiar with the Smithsonian museums throughout my time at Maryland (about 15 miles northeast of Washington, DC).

After a quick interview process, I got the job and let out a big sigh of relief that, at least for now, I had a plan. The six-month internship is designed to be very writing-intensive so I got a highly appreciated break from fact-checking. I mainly composed stories for the "Around the Mall" section of the magazine, which covers research, exhibits and other happenings around Smithsonian Institution. But I also worked for other print sections, as well as their Web site Smithsonian.com, including the Around the Mall blog. Here are the clips I had published:

"State of Emergency," Aug. 7, 2007.

"A Brief History of the Amber Room," Aug. 14, 2007.

"New Old Wolf" in Wild Things, September 2007.

"What's Up," September 2007.

"Livin' Large," September 2007.

"Thinking Ahead" in Wild Things, October 2007.

"Hatching a New Idea," October 2007.

"Tuareg Chic," October 2007.

"Jukebox: Ode to a Federal Entitlement," October 2007.

"What's Up," October 2007.

"Beautiful Strangers" slideshow in "Oceans," an interactive package launched Sept. 24, 2007.

"Brief History of Scotland Yard," Sept. 28, 2007.

"Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials," Oct. 24, 2007.

"Point. Shoot. See." November 2007.

"Abandoned Ship," November 2007.

"Baby Babble" in Wild Things, November 2007.

"Beading the Way," November 2007.

"Jukebox: The Robeson Spirit," November 2007.

"Q&A with Chip Kidd," November 2007.

"News Flash," November 2007.

"What's Up," November 2007.

"Sitting Bull's Legacy," October 31, 2007.

Created all of the written content for "Decoding Ancient Egypt," an interactive package launched November 5, 2007.

"Symbolically Speaking," November 5, 2007.

"Wild Things," December 2007.

"Up in Smoke," December 2007.

"Jukebox: Hitting the Right Notes" December 2007.

"Q&A with Jenny Holzer" December 2007.

"What's Up," December 2007.

"Dreaming of a Green Christmas," December 12, 2007.

"Easter Island," January 2008.

"Machu Picchu," January 2008.

"Wild Things," January 2008.

"Rasta Revealed," January 2008.

"One Love: Discovering Rastafari!" January 2008.

"Giving Back," January 2008.

"Q&A with Norman Foster," January 2008.

"Jukebox: Seeger Singalong," January 2008.

"What's Up," January 2008.

"Brief History of the St. Bernard Rescue Dog" January 1, 2008.

"Earthly Wonders" slideshow in "Land," an interactive package launched January, 28 2008.

"Interview: Amy Chua," February 2008.

"Aerosol Art," February 2008.

"Jukebox: Jazz Reqiuem," February 2008.

"Q&A with Garth Brooks," February 2008.

"The Dirt on Mud," February 2008.

"What's Up," February 2008.

"Q&A with John Alexander," March 2008.

"Highlights and Hotspots," March 2008.
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City Paper


Baltimore's alternative weekly City Paper was slated as my back-up if I didn't get into the ASME program, but my editor kindly allowed me to still complete the internship fall of my senior year. Growing up in Baltimore, I knew the paper well and was really excited to work for a more edgy publication.

Again, a lot of my work here was based in fact-checking, research and calendar departments, but I was able to write up some event blurbs along the way. Side note: I actually had many more bylines than the work below but City Paper's site doesn't have them.

"Crafty Bastards Arts and Crafts Fair," September 27, 2006

"Tapas Y Temas," October 11, 2006

"City Paper's 2006 Holiday Gift Guide," November 11, 2006
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Inc. magazine (ASME internship)


Throughout my college career, I marveled at the idea of obtaining the American Society of Magazine Editors' internship the summer following my junior year. But, as it is a very competitive program and I did not have very much magazine experience, I was almost sure it was beyond my reach. However to my delight, on the night of Valentine's Day, I received my email acceptance into the program. A few weeks later, I was informed that I would be placed with Inc. magazine in New York. Knowing very little about the publication, I did some research and found that they cover private and entrepreneurial companies around the country.

My internship at Inc. was great. Not only was I working for a national magazine, but the weekly ASME seminars introduced me to top editors in the industry. Plus, working in New York was just awesome in general. I mainly did fact-checking at the magazine, but I also had a few clip opportunities, most of which were for their Web site, Inc.com.

"Young Entrepreneurs Honored in Washington," June 19, 2006.

"Kauffman Foundation Pledges $35 Million for College Programs," June 27, 2006.

"Small Businesses Offer Incentives for Hybrids," July 6, 2006.

"New York City Offers Loans for Blackout-Burned Businesses," July 31, 2006.

"Choose Your Weapon," August 2006.
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The Daily Record


I really wanted to work at The Daily Record the summer following my sophomore year of college. The job was paid, which was rare as far as journalism internships go, and I wanted to build my portfolio by working at a daily. After fervent pursuit, I finally landed the interview and the job, just as my semester was coming to an end.

My experience at the paper, which is Maryland's primary source for legal and business news, was truly rewarding. As is evident by the amount of clips below, I was kept extremely busy. Not only that, but I was introduced to the world of business and law, two areas that I, admittedly, knew nothing about. I gained a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience and, as I hope my work below shows, by the end I was able to perfectly craft a news story.

"MD State Bar Assn. program takes look at pro bono work," June 16, 2005.

"Commentary: Franklin Lee: 'Unsung' no more," June 29, 2005.

"EEOC to vote on downgrading Baltimore District Office," July 5, 2005.

"Named driver exclusion void in commercial policies rules MD Court of Special Appeals," July 13, 2005.

"MD Court of Appeals rules Silver Spring tenants' demands were not reasonable," July 19, 2005.

"Montgomery Co. Court of Special Appeals rules volunteer firefighters," July 22, 2005.

"Barring stress before taking the bar exam," July 27, 2005.

"With a few adjustments, some lawyers find the business world suits them just fine," Aug. 5, 2005.

"MD Court of Appeals rules Univ. of MD Eastern Shore not liable," Aug. 16, 2005.

"MD's two law schools welcome new students this week, start classes," Aug. 17, 2005.

"Federal judge in Greenbelt allows FMLA case to proceed," Aug. 23, 2005.

"Baltimore Symphony Orchestra not liable for woman's broken leg," Aug. 24, 2005.


Following my internship, I stayed in touch with the paper and did a little bit of freelance work for its special publications, which were monthly magazine supplements about technological and business advancements. The following is an article I did for one of these publications, Innovator of the Year.

"Innovator of the Year: Dr. Niel Theodore Constantine," 2005.
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Baltimore magazine


During my freshman year at the University of Maryland, I attended the College of Journalism's annual fall career fair. There, I sat in on a magazine writing seminar presented by Stephanie Silver, Maryland alumna and then-calendar editor for Baltimore magazine. After Stephanie's talk, I gave her my resume and clip packet and conveyed my interest in a magazine internship. A few weeks and a follow-up email later, I had an interview. I was eventually hired as one of their editorial interns for the summer of 2004.

At Baltimore, I did a lot of fact-checking and researching, but also was able to come out with some published clips. The links below provide a sample.

The last article, "Lady Dynamite," was by far my favorite piece I wrote for the magazine. Not only was I able to interview the very eccentric Ida May Martinez, but the magazine decided to expand my article after seeing my reporting. This article cemented my passion for feature stories and magazine writing.

"Sirius-ly, it’s Beer Radio," September 2004.

"Catch It," September 2004.

"Lady Dynamite," November 2004.
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The (Baltimore) Sun


My first journalism internship was through a program offered at my high school, which was designed to give seniors a head-start into their career before even beginning college. Students spent the latter half of their days interning for a company in their desired career interest. I was lucky enough to spend my afternoons in the newsroom of The (Baltimore) Sun.

I mainly wrote for the Live! section of the paper, which came out weekly and featured local entertainment and events. I did write a couple feature stories, however, that appeared in the main sections of the paper.

"'Story Man' tops tribute to black arts," Jan. 30, 2003.

"Kipper and his kids," Jan. 23, 2003.

"Polisar at Arbutus' Winter Reading Club," Jan. 16, 2003.

"Celebrate Thomas' birthday," Jan. 2, 2003.

"'Reach for Peace' is a salute to Dr. King," Jan. 1, 2003.

"Program is steeped in Cherokee culture," Dec. 26, 2002.

"Hampden Library has stories about winter," Dec. 19, 2002.

"Maisy's adventure at Port Discovery," Dec. 12, 2002.

"Working with Bob," Dec. 5, 2002.

"The Polar Express; Climb aboard for fun at library," Nov. 28, 2002.

"Book discussion group is forming in Bel Air," Nov. 21, 2002.

"Facts in her fiction," Nov. 14, 2002.

"Remembrances carried on wrists," Nov. 11, 2002.

"Harry Potter party before the new film," Nov. 7, 2002.

"You're never too young to learn about tolerance," Oct. 31, 2002.

"Mourning her mother, running toward hope," Oct. 4, 2002.

"Sunfest kicks off OC's second season," Sept. 19, 2002.

"Public Works Museum shows off its heavy metal," Sept. 19, 2002.

"Festival celebrates Shaker way of life," Sept. 12, 2002.
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