Name: Eliza Strauss-Jenkins
Class Year: Dec 2022
Major: Literatures in English, minor in Printmaking
Hometown: Ménerbes, France
Internship Organization: FAIRE Magazine
Job Title: Editorial Intern
Location: Lacoste, France
Award: Helen Manning Hunter Internship Fund
What’s happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!
A lot is currently going on at FAIRE Magazine. The team is working on issue three and preparing for the release of issue two, happening July 8! In addition to this, we recently launched the FAIRE Journal—our online blog—in which we share stories from our most beloved creatives and crafters, as well as announcements on upcoming workshops, exhibitions, and pop-ups. The journal is my responsibility; under editor-in-chief Ruth Ribeaucourt’s advisement, I manage all aspects of the journal’s production. I am currently overseeing 20-plus articles for release. This involves maintaining communication with the creatives, organizing a publishing schedule, editing the features, designing the articles for layout, building a style guide, and lastly publishing the articles to our website. In addition to managing the journal, I help proofread the magazine issues and prepare the contents and contributors pages.
Why did you apply for this internship?
I decided to apply to this internship because I was curious about the publishing world and this was the perfect opportunity for me to dip my toes into editing and design. I was intrigued by FAIRE’s unique voice. Through the years, Ruth has built an international creative community, predominantly made up of women crafters and artists. The magazine is born from her desire to share the unique stories of this community, allowing for an intimate read that, in my opinion, remains unparalleled. I was compelled to join her in sharing these stories.
Was this internship what you expected it to be? What is most rewarding about your internship?
The internship is not at all what I expected! Granted, I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into. I just knew that Ruth needed hands and that I was ready to get working. I wasn’t actually aware of her plans to launch the journal—let alone that I would be in charge of running it.
Maybe if I had known what I would be doing I would have never pursued the internship, fearing that I was not adequately prepared to take on such responsibility. In working on the journal, I was surprised to find out how some of my most unexpected skills would come in handy. But I have also learned that 50 percent of working is a practice of learning and growing in all sorts of situations, and so it’s okay not to know everything—that’s sort of the point. This has been one of the most rewarding aspect of my internship, I am leaving with both an entirely new set of skills but also with the knowledge that I can trust myself to excel when I am challenged with new or unknown situations. This experience has offered me insight into a more accurate understanding of workplace “preparedness”.
Another rewarding aspect of this internship is the deep sense of accomplishment that I feel in being a part of FAIRE’s journey in sharing these creative stories. When I have successfully designed and edited an article into a harmonious read, I feel an amazing sense of fulfillment. I can take pride in my work.
I feel honored to be a part of FAIRE and I’m endlessly grateful to the Career & Civic Engagement Center for offering me an opportunity to nurture my confidence in the workplace.
Visit the Summer Internship Stories page to read more about student internship experiences.