Let’s get into the deets, shall we?

Growing up, I pored over every magazine in my mom’s monthly subscription rotation. This was in the early aughts—also known as the time in which iconic films revolving around magazine editors in New York City were prevalent (see: 13 Going on 30, The Devil Wears Prada). To six-year-old me (and 22-year-old me, let’s be real), the idea of one day having a seat at the table of a publication I loved and respected, was everything. It became the thing.

Once I got to college (Texas A&M University, Class of 2021), I began to look at writing as a future career rather than just something I consumed and did for fun in the notes app of my phone and subsequent blog. After submitting a few pitches and writing samples to Her Campus, I became a National Feature Writer and got my first taste of working for a major women’s media site—this was a pivotal moment for me, as it served as both invaluable experience and the catalyst to start my own student-run fashion & lifestyle magazine on campus.

A-Line Magazine was born in the fall of 2019, a semester when I knew absolutely nothing about producing online content (much less the semesterly print issue my team and I marketed heavily as a selling point for new members to join), but we were determined to make it happen. And so it did.

Having served as Creator & Founding Editor-in-Chief for two years up until graduation, I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world. It taught me about working well with other creative minds; being consistent, reliable, and detail-oriented; communicating a vision and ensuring others’ input is at top of mind; and being willing to take on new challenges because there is proof people have done it before. We had done it before. Three print issues and 80+ members later, A-Line is still just getting started.

During my senior year of college, I began working as a freelance writer for Cosmopolitan. Taking notes from their incredibly smart editors, I strengthened my writing voice further, infusing the savvy older-sister Cosmo voice with my own. I have also developed a deeper understanding of SEO, the science of being resourceful, and converting complex topics into digestible copy.

I, too, am just getting started in the pursuit of my dream [job]. With the experience I am gaining from interviews and weekly conversations on Before We Make It, as well as networking with other creatives in the magazine industry, I am coming to understand that the purpose of the media—simple as it sounds—is the people. My goal is to use my love for words to teach someone, inspire someone, and be a source of much-needed something for the someone who seeks it.