The Intern
Heidi Vanderheiden, the perfect intern, meet John Strahinich the perfect editor. Strahinich was executive editor at Boston Magazine.
Any person Klarfeld recommends has got to be good.I know I am not perfect, and I am sure he understood that also. And with a commitment to 20 hours a week for Strahinich in addition to full-time graduate classes, I already knew that my internship at Boston Magazine would be challenging. But it certainly was educational.
Internships are an important part of the college curriculum. They provide one with the hands-on experience that is necessary to actually get a job in your field. "There's no class as important as the class at Boston Magazine." This is what I was supposed to tell Rob McKeown, Strahinich's other intern, who said he couldn't work more than the 20 hours we had set up at the executive editor's request. Okay, I knew how much latitude I would be given for my classes this semester. Internships often require a lot of initiative. I am sure, had I chosen, I could have spent most of my time there idle. Or perhaps I could have worked on homework for my other classes. I had to make an effort to seek out learning experiences, but I was determined to succeed at this internship and make it worthwhile. I did. I got my first clip out of the Reporter section. Clips are photocopies of articles, and essential to getting a job in journalism. As an intern to the executive editor, I got an inside look at what goes on behind the doors of such a magazine. I can't think of any better way to see the inner workings, politics and working environment of such an institution. Strahinich's assignments for me ranged from library research and fact checking to errand running. But much of my learning came from simple observation. I learned, for instance, about the development of a story from idea to publication. Often, when Strahinich had nothing concrete for me to work on, I would approach different staff members to ask if they needed help with anything. It was thus that I learned how to get docket numbers and their corresponding cases from courts. I learned how to draft a Freedom of Information Request (to get federal documents) and honed my copy editing skills. I learned how to fact check. I enjoyed finding new ways to get information. For instance, I had never considered calling the library and asking a librarian for the derivation of a word such as "yankee." And, oddly enough, I hadn't realized that the Oxford English Dictionary was the best source for such derivations. I also acquired much better library research skills. For instance, I learned (finally) how to use microfiche and microfilm, where to find old issues of journals, and how to use the library's databases. I feel considerably more confident about going into the profession now that I have been able to work at a widely respected publication. I believe I have also made some contacts that could be invaluable for someone just beginning a career in journalism. And I'm planning on doing a copy editing internship at the Globe this summer. After the internship, Strahinich said to tell Jon Klarfeld he needed another intern for the fall, and "tell him I thank him profusely for you." Although I am not entirely comfortable with the strategy, tooting your own horn seems to be a professional asset. So, with some trepidation, I told Jon Klarfeld of Strahinich's "profound gratitute". His response: "oh-ho". Okay, so I won't get too cocky. But wait until my internship this summer. Boston Globe, meet the perfect intern, Heidi Vanderheiden.