Adios, Lasell!

There have been a lot of last-timers at Lasell for me this week: My last class, last time modeling in the student fashion show, last homework assignment, and now today is my last day of my internship. I remember when I started, wondering how on earth I was going to juggle it all-but it seems as if time figured everything out for me. Deadlines came and went, I presented material or I goofed something up, or I missed a day here and there to do something for myself.

I've had many great experiences here-helping to set up for a dedication, writing an article about it, attending a fashion show to write about, but even the day-to-day was fun. While it seems so long ago I was interviewing on-campus faculty and staff for different assignments, or chasing someone down for Michelle, nothing prepared me for coming in this morning to find a cute little bag with a sweet card, GORGEOUS scarf (which I put on right away) and a mug which felt was SO me: "She packed up her potential and all she had learned, grabbed a cute pair of shoes and headed out to change a few things." Few quotes fit me better than this!

Overall it's been a FANTASTIC semester here, and I couldn't be more ready to take everything I've learned and hit the real world ground running, ready to give my all! Michelle & Diane, thank you all for everything you've taught me. Thank you for every opportunity, every piece of advice, and every ounce of support you've given me throughout this short semester.

Adios, Lasell!

-Emmalyn

Red Carpet Treatment-Literally

Tonight, I'm fortunate enough to be invited to NewTV's Red Carpet Gala 20th Anniversary Event (say that five times fast), thanks to an invite from a professor of mine and Michelle. My first thought was how excited I was to go to a red carpet event for television, since my recent decision to pursue a career in it 125%. My second thought was what to wear! Given, that's probably every woman's thought attending the Gala this evening (and maybe half the men's), but I had a different angle to consider: dressing in a way that was sophisticated, conservative, yet would make me stand out in a crowd to anyone looking for someone to join their station.

Hmm..well, at the last red carpet event I went to I wore a leopard-skin dress, shiny gold heels and long earrings. That surely isn't conservative. Then I thought of a classy little black dress I had sitting in the closet-but what part of that piece stands out? I like to wear something that can be a conversation-starter, and that surely was far too plain. Finally, I've settled myself on an appropriately length-ed navy blue halter dress. Satisfied.

Wait..the shoes? It's important to wear heels, but in representing my internship, they have to also be an appropriate height and color. Hmm..black and blue are generally a no-no. White? Tan? Green for spring? No, the green are too strappy. Crap. And what about a jacket? It's warm out, but it may rain.

For these situations, I believe in plain shoes, and a light blazer or shawl. Just because the title says "red carpet" doesn't mean one has to boast an Oscar de Larenta ball gown, and it's definitely not appropriate to skimp-it-out on this one, especially if you're looking to evolve from college life.

Last but not least is hair and make-up. It's important to present yourself, in addition to your communication skills, well. There's much to be said for overdoing it, or under-doing it for that matter. Here's a list of steps I take when applying make-up for an event out:

1) Boscia Vitamin C treatment- This serves as a base for my super-dry skin, yet also gives it a healthier base than even moisturizer can provide. It moisturizes, yet uses parsley and other repair-focused ingredients to help heal any mishaps on my face while I cake it with makeup.

2) Boscia Tinted moisturizer-OPTIONAL-you've already moisturized, but this is always a cheaper alternative to a base and should be used on a daily basis to keep your skin hydrated. As you can see, I' m a huge Boscia fan.

3) Korres Face Primer-OPTION 2- If you do not feel you need any more moisturizing, even out your palette with Korres Face Primer. A little bit goes a long way, and this is vital for making sure your skin tone is evenly prepared for the biggest step: Foundation.

4) MAKEUP FOREVER Liquid Foundation-MAKEUP FOREVER is popular among makeup artist professionals, and is perhaps the most crucial step to keeping your face fresh for the entire evening. In the summer and spring months powder can come off easy, so I enjoy liquid-yet pay attention to your neck here, so that you don't wind up with an unblended face.

5) NARS Bronzer-NARS is the leading brand of bronzer, which stole the stage once Cargo was set to be sold to CVS and was considered less effective. I suggest an appropriate dusting of bronzer.

6) NARS Blush-NARS makes a great blush, too. Controversial as the name is, the "Orgasm" blush by NARS is a favorite shade.

7) Sephora Eyeliner-There's no need to spend big bucks on eyeliner, honest. Apply as you see fit.

8) Maybelline Mascara-Always voted #1. Don't go overboard on this.

9) Sephora-colored shadows- I love Sephora brand color palettes.

10) TARTE lip gloss-Or your fave.

11) Michael Michael KORS leg bronzer- If you're not wearing tights, this can give you a nice glow.

There you have it, an intern's secret to dressing like a professional in a student's stilettos!

Coffee-less Intern

Today seemed to be one of those days all of us interns have every once and again-slow, sleepy start in the morning where your first reaction is a cup of coffee to jump-start the day. Unfortunately for me, I may as well have given coffee up for Lent. I'm on strike from it.

Every day, I'd usually grab a cup all last semester. Until I realized the awful crash I get at about 3 pm, the cup I get to recoup gives me a headache, and by 9pm I can hardly to my homework. I'm really productive the rest of the day, though!

I spoke to a woman last night at work about the severity of caffeine addiction. I had never realized how many college students have this addiction, but it's true. Think about it: if an alcoholic says they're going "for a drink", we would question it. If someone addicted to pain killers is "going to the doctor's", we'd think about it. But if a student says they're going for coffee, who cares? They have to stay up late and study. But from my personal experience, it's nothing for your average student to have coffee morning, afternoon, and night. I personally know people who will drink 5 cups a day, and their day can't start unless it's Dunkin' in their cup.

Me? I'm a morning and afternoon crash-recoup coffee girl, and I've been this way for all three years I've been at Lasell. That afternoon crash honestly made one afternoon a week slightly miserable for me, and based on that experience, I've quit coffee unless necessary (my terms of necessary: trying to stay awake for a specific purpose). Cavemen didn't need coffee to make it through the day. Given, cavemen didn't have this much homework, but truth is, we don't need caffeine to do it all-just proper planning and a healthy lifestyle. Peace out, coffee-I'll take this slow-morning start and a glass of water any day.

Crisis Communication

Today, I got to learn a little something about crisis communication firsthand- coming in to learn that three major local papers wrote online stories about a supposed incident at Lasell on Marathon Monday.

The truth is, a police report was written that made assumptions stating a Lasell student did something that was highly disrespectful to a National Gaurd member during the marathon. Once local newspapers got their hands on it, it was a frenzy. Truth is: not even police have identified who was actually responsible for this disrespectful act, as there was a massive crowd packed with Lasell students, yes-but also locals and out of town visitors.

This morning, it's been up to Michelle to get her hands on the police report itself, see how reporters could have gained that conclusion, get permission to contact the local news sources to get them to fix their stories, and attempt to cease the story from spreading-without making a bigger deal of it by responding too intensely the reporter's about the story's existence, or damaging relationships with these reporters we may wish to send positive stories to in the future.

As for me? I've been lucky to be able to be in on everything-googling the story to find out where it's turned up, I got to look at the police report to understand how reporters may have put this story together, and reading every article I can find to see how it's covered-as well as monitoring student responses on Facebook (which are flooding quickly). Important lessons learned today, that's for sure!

Communication: My "Field of Dreams"

As I near the day of graduation from Lasell College, my eyes have opened a little wider and I've started to realize just how lucky I am to know what I want to do. The things I've learned, both at Lasell as a student and an intern, have helped me to know exactly what I want career-wise. For me, it's a passion I wake up every day and strive to reach my goal, at night I fall asleep dreaming of the day my goal is achieved. Sometimes, wanting something so badly can be overwhelming, and I need to remind myself to step back and appreciate the opportunities I've had while continuing to work towards my dream. Yet there are many people worldwide who don't have a clue what they want to do. While working at my part-time waitressing job, I find myself amongst a range of people. A highschool student, a college graduate studying for a medical exam, college grads who don't have a clue what they want, and then there's me: mingling among the masses, smiling at every table as I practice my camera-face, and trying not to drop the burning-hot plates and remember every order as if it were critical information for an article at my internship. We could all be a tv series, if MTV wanted to know what's REALLY in the "Real World". Many people have warned me that sometimes, sticking around in a waitressing job is what happens when after graduation, you lose a set schedule. I lose the cozy little office at my internship, I lose the classy-comfortable dorm room in a victorian house, I lose the loan-covered food everyday I pay for with a swipe, I lose the mandatory assignments which keep me on my toes, I lose the constant surrounding of fellow struggling professionals-in-training, I lose the clubs, I lose the professors who so lovingly grace me with advice. Personally? I'm not worried about what I leave behind here. I leave behind four years of hard work and achievements I'm proud of. I worry, instead, about doing too much. Strange to some, but ever since I found what I want, I refuse to fail and have a tendency to overwork myself. Even on spring and winter break, my ClassE blogs can't stop. Nor can my acting, my modeling, my songwriting-or my part-time job, which will now go full-time. The question more is, how do I take what I've learned at my internship and Lasell and make sure I don't get stuck waitressing? Constant pitching of myself is the answer-or so I'm told. But I've been trained to do that, too, from pitching stories at my internship and via practice in internship seminar. Maybe there are other grads like me-we're not worried about having nothing to do, because we won't. We're not worried about finding "a job" to please our parents, because nothing will do except a job connected to what we want. (Even if it means scrubbing the floors of the place we want to be VP). We're worried about survival of the fittest in a world that won't operate on a loan system, that instead sends you bills for loans. But I've found it's best not to overstress yourself about these things for weeks at a time (as I've been doing), but to enjoy your experience and remember the old italian saying, "que seda seda": Whatever will be, will be. I believe it we work hard as we can, what will be is exactly what we've worked for: the goal career in my field of dreams.

Morals in the Story

Usually, when given an assignment, I ignore every part of me that knows I'm a terrible photographer and go into an event in search of fantastic setups for a shot. I try to keep the camera poised at every possible moment, and hope that one, maybe one, of the 50 or so I take will come out decent enough to land on the web or in the paper. I've been lucky a few times-but for this next event, I'm presented with a challenge: protecting the safety of a speaker at Lasell as I photograph. See, with members of the Secret Service and FBI coming to speak to Lasell students in the criminal justice program this week, it's something that is GREAT to cover from my end. But from theirs, it can be a dangerous risk if someone photographs an agent who may at some point have to go undercover. This leaves me responsible for having to identify who I can and who I can not include in my shots, while also trying to take some that cover the event appropriately. This makes, from my end, a bit of a dilemma: when such esteemed speakers come to Lasell, of course we want to highlight they were there! And who better for a great shot than the entire panel? Now what will I choose as my subject? Yet from a second thought, my morals kick in: No, Emma, this is someone's safety at stake here. And if there's one thing I've learned from my Media Ethics class, it's that being morally and ethically responsible is one of the most respectable things a person can be. In today's society, many reporters are more than willing to do things that can compromise the health, sanity and entire image of an individual just to get a leading story. While temptation is there for any reporter, it's the ones who are the most reputable that in the end will have an enriched career, impressive portfolio and will be granted with trust the more compelling interviews. People want to look good and stay healthy-not too much to ask! Although it's a new challenge, I love being able to be trusted with such responsibility.

The Etiquette of Email

"Emmmaaaa, Can I plz have a quote from u on ur event? thx!! PS- wana get lunch lata? luv uuuuu!" If I ever received this, I'd delete it. If I ever sent something like this, I'd expect it to be deleted. Unfortunately, with the web at our fingertips and T-9 teaching an ever-growing generation how to communicate with others, it's easy to forget how a proper email is fashioned and just how important it is how we address others. The email sample above would never fly in the professional world, and many students aren't properly trained on how to write a formal email. Not being able to do something simple as craft a professional email can seriously damage one's entire career: you represent a company, therefore everything you write is a direct reflection of the company's standards of professionalism. On the contrary, writing a well-versed and flawlessly punctuated email can give your career that extra boost employers these days are searching for. This skill is something that can truly make an intern stand out. Put simply, writing an email is not similar to writing a Facebook wall post. When I'm crafting an email (because there is a proper structure), I always begin with a greeting. "Dear Tim Thomas," for example, if it's someone I don't know very well. If it's someone I do, it is appropriate to open an email with "Hi Tim," or maybe even "Hey Timmy," if it's your best friend. Next comes the body. If I don't know them, asking for a quote would look something like this: "My name is Emmalyn Anderson, representing the Lasell College Department of Communication in Auburndale, MA. I'm just wondering if you may be willing to provide us with a quote for your upcoming event "Working with Children"? If so it would be greatly appreciated." Introduce yourself, and identify where you're from. It's just plain polite, and otherwise, it may look like spam. Next, respectfully ask permission for what you want. Don't assume anyone is entitled to give you anything. If it's a friend, then you may be more relaxed. Something like this would be acceptable: "I'm currently working on a story for Lasell's Comm. Dept. on your "Working with Children" event, and I'm wondering if you'd be okay with providing me with a quote I could use? We'd really love to pump this story up for you!" In this situation, there's no need for introduction, because we're friends. So jump right into what you need, and suck up a little bit: first, I asked his permission for a quote, again. Still not assuming that because we have drinks every Thursday that I'm entitled to a quote from him. Second, I sucked up a bit: mentioning I'd "really love to pump this story up" shows that because you're close friends, it would be like you're doing a favor as well and shows that you care about what has your friends' name on it. You chose them for the quote because you want to give them media exposure. See? It's all in how you phrase it. Finally, it's time to close the email. For someone I don' t know, this is a pretty standard closing: "I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience. Thank you for your time, Emmalyn" This is putting the ball in their court. You let them know their response is waiting on THEIR convenience, with no rush to them. Then, you thank them for taking time out of their busy day to focus on your specific requests, out of the hundreds you should rightfully assume they get. Lastly, I signed my first name, giving them permission to contact me on a first-name basis in the hopes that he may write back in the same fashion and you can be on a now first-name basis to build a relationship with this person in the future. If it is your friend, you can be far more informal with this, but structure is still imperative. "Please let me know if you'd be interested in helping me out on this one. Hope to hear from you soon!, Emma" Here, you're asking for help so that it doesn't seem too much like he'd owe you anything for doing him the favor of "pumping the story up for you." Next, you write "Hope to hear from you soon!" in an excited manner, because you really like this person, but just because you're friends doesn't mean you expect an immediate response. Again, ball in their court. Then, you can sign off with a shortened name that you would give them permission to address you as. And, send. Simple things such as how you open and close your email are an easy way for higher-ups to recognize just how valuable you are to a company. Writing an email may seem easy-but it's the simple time you take to make sure it's properly formatted that can ultimately help or hurt you. What's in your outbox?

Juggle, Juggle, Juggle

The return from spring break, as previously mentioned, was not exactly seamless. Things ran just as they had before: homework still came out of nowhere, as for me did outside opportunities that seem to land at my feet when I least expect them. But I like my life that way, crazy as it seems.

I'm lucky to have an internship that is very understanding of outside commitments. For many students, school isn't the only thing you do and finding an internship that respects this can be challenging! For example, I like to act outside of school/interning. It's tough sometimes to balance that schedule, aka "juggle" everything, but otherwise it wouldn't be possible to do both what is needed and wanted-although the truth is, I guess I want it all.

Today, I was happy to come into the office dressed for an audition and still be able to receive a warm welcome and well wishes. Although I try my hardest not to mix one job with another, it's important to me that the person whom I am as a whole is accepted wherever I go, and sometimes time schedules prevent me from minor clashing. Some places won't be okay with your image as an artist, of whatever type that may be. Proud to say, this is not the case at Lasell.

Finding this internship has truly been a perfect fit for me this semester. I've been able to juggle so well that I've missed one day due to sickness (not to brag about my near-perfect attendance..okay I'm bragging). If you're looking for someplace that will accept you for who you are and be flexible yet give you responsibilities you'd like to have in an internship-look at Lasell College's Department of Communication. Just, wait til next Fall-I'm not finished until May, and I won't leave any sooner!!

Return to Monday Mornings

After a much-needed spring break filled with the perfect blend of friends, a little work and a lot of sleep, I find myself back in my cozy office in the Department of Communication here at Lasell with a caramel iced coffee in hand. I look Monday head on, ignoring the screams in my head to go back to sleep, and dive into my first day back at my internship head first: media advisory, web story, big story. Then I hit a bit of a roadblock.

The "big story" is one that I've been working on since the week before break, performing interviews with professors here at Lasell and digging up as much information I can gather. Slowly I've begun piecing together an article, but everything I've written thus far I revise each time I look back on it. Normally, I'd have had this out so much sooner, but every time I do another overlook I find another thing I want to change or a bit of information I forgot and can't bring myself to hit the "send" button for submission. I find myself moving like a turtle on this one. (Slow and steady wins the race, right?) What is going on here?! This can't be me, I don't lag on articles like this!

This is what I've gathered: The Monday morning after spring break is the hardest day of an internship all semester, seeing as at this time for the past week I've been sleeping. I can't seem to put together words on this last article; it's as if I need to re-program my brain! For me, a TRULY hard day isn't one when I have a ton to do. Even on the busiest days, my brain runs on automaticity and just pumps out one thing after another with time flying by.

I, however, refuse to accept defeat from this morning. It's time I throw myself back in the swing of things, multi-tasking like a true winner. My hours might be done in the office, but I'm hitting the send button on this thing by the end of the day. As the mighty Dr. Seuss once said, "I've got a big bat. I'm ready, you see. Now my troubles are going to have trouble with me!"

Learn Something New Every Day

Yesterday, I went out on a fun new assignment to cover author Kathleen O'Shea speaking at Lasell on women aging in prision. Getting out in the field is my favorite thing to do, for several reasons.

For one, I always learn something that I didn't know before about a particular subject. Even if I had previously formed an opinon on the subject, hearing the other side of any subject can only expand my knowledge on what the other side thinks. On the subject of women aging in prison, my general opinion was that they were there for a reason so I had no sympathy. Yet that's not entirely true. What is true is that laws have changed over time, therefore so have the severity of sentences. Some states have such intense laws, i.e., Missouri, that one woman was imprisoned for something her grandson did because since they lived together she was charged as an accessory. Fair? I think not. There was also an imprisoned woman whose wheelchair was stolen by a younger crowd, so she couldn't get to the next building to eat for three days. Terrible things to listen to, but if I never received this assignment I'd never be able to know these different sides of something I thought I knew all about.

Another part of getting out in the field is that I learn something new about reporting itself. My first time out way back in high school, I learned I need a mini-notebook. Next I learned I need a camera, then quotes and interviews, to keep opinions out of things, etc. This time, I learned to always sit at the end of a row in an aisle setting. I thought by sitting in the back I'd be all set, but found quickly that latecomers in this style setting typically make a bee-line for those. I felt awful interrupting people over and over trying to get better angles, but I've got a story to tell and could let nothing stop me from my quest!

In the future, I hope I can continue to go out and cover events at Lasell. To be honest, otherwise I never would have gone to this presentation otherwise, but I'm extremely glad I did!

Proud of my Peers

It seems to be the busiest time of the year for everybody around here, especially Michelle. Every time I turn around, she's off to take pictures of something new, there's a new email about a new article, or a different project on her backburner. Hectic as her life, to me, may seem, it's great to be able to see the way things are inside of a Communications office. With the Leaves deadline looming, there are billions of things to be done and I'm honored to be able to help with them.

There are some things about being an intern here that are different from most places, however. I get the opportunity to go off-site to help track down photos of a student for the magazine, deadlines vary for web/print, and your work can some days depend solely on the responses of others. At times, it's up to our office to be the "annoying person"-if we NEED THAT QUOTE! It's very different than most industries, which is why I find I enjoy it so very much. I'm not usually one to sit still (in fact, I find that hard to do even when I should be relaxing), so I love the opportunity to constantly have different projects to work on. There's always a new interview, new assignment, new project. It's also teaching me quite a bit about my peers at Lasell, too.

Sometimes, I hear my peers say that Lasell students are "lazy", that Lasell is "easy" and boring. Yet I don't feel that way about my soon-to-be alma mater, and I'm finding neither do many of the students around me. The more articles I write and research I do on my peers, the more I find there are students here doing great things. Just like everywhere else in life, it's up to YOU to seize opportunity, or create them for yourself if you don't see them! Writing stories on my peers helps me to network with other students here that are taking advantage of what Lasell has to offer-and there's a lot here, in every department, if you know where to look and have the drive to succeed.

It's up to you, as a person, to find those challenges. This isn't preschool, and nobody's going to hold your hand. If you're dedicated then someone may point you in the right direction, but only you can put one foot in front of the other, and I'm proud to be a part of documenting the accomplishments of my peers.

Road to the Real World

It finally feels as if spring may be creeping upon us this morning. While I didn't shudder from the cold for once, I did find myself quivering with the knowledge that graduation is right around the corner! Finding a job, an apartment-all very scary things while you're trying to finish copious amounts of homework.

One thing I'm proud to say I'm not worried about, however, is if I'm prepared for my first job. For the past few months, I'd secretly been wondering if I'm fully prepared to tackle the "real world". Yet the more I paid attention to it and dipped my paws in by sending emails, making phone calls and producing articles here, I've learned a secret: those "real-world" professionals I'd so feared are no different than me at all. The only difference is while I've been improving my portfolio to impress them, they've been working steadily to produce the same media to attract the attention of people like, well, me.

There are people in my class that sadly have never had an internship, and have made no conscious effort to get one. For them I feel terrible, as I know the feeling of wondering if I'm cut out for the jobs I want so badly. If not for my internship, I'd have had no idea that I'm on the exact same playing field as the "real world", just with a fresh mind to the field.

This being said, I'm grateful to say I feel as if I've taken the right road to the real world by being able to take this internship opportunity within the Communication department. Education is the foundation, but hands-on experience is irreplaceable!

Gotta go-back to writing! :)

Refreshing the Page

There are so many more fun experiences to be had in this internship than simply "refreshing the page" of my inbox, but today that seems to be the form of media bringing me the largest wealth of information for articles I'm working on. Finding quotes, tracking down photos, following up with others, you know.

One very exciting experience I was offered today was to see Fox 25's on campus appearance taking B-roll for a story! Honestly, there's nothing I'd rather be doing..except making money, I suppose. Which is, unfortunately, exactly what is holding me back from partaking in today's fun. Work.

Sometimes, it can be difficult balancing a job, school, and an internship, as well as other random extracurriculars that I won't bore you with. There are so many opportunities that arise from simply being someplace at the right time-meeting a new guest speaker in class whom you could network with, learning your company needs a new manager that could pay you more money, or great opportunities like I've had going to the BSO.

There's a very lucky girl, sitting up here in the Communication Department-it may sometimes feel like I'm "everywhere", but it's great to know that other people see me going "somewhere" enough to extend such opportunities my way. Hopefully, I can make the next one!

Swimming In a Sea of Information

Today being my long day here (long being four hours), there was tons of work to be done! After knocking off a media advisory and web story, I've gone back to two other stories I've been working on.

Have you ever felt like you've injested so much information on one topic that you need to step back for a moment? I feel a little that way right now, bouncing back between both stories. Hence the blog-break, as I call it. One of them is very fun, one is very informational however through my research today I've gained a wealth of knowlegde; a "sea of information" that I've been swimming through and trying to sort.

Today, I've re-learned that instead of constantly tackling things head-on as is my usual practice, it can be best sometimes to step back a minute from something and come back with a fresh eye for it.

The best break I think I could have asked for at this time came in the form of a call from Michelle asking me to meet her, along with President Alexander and a cameraman, in the Klingbiel parking lot. There, she taped my reaction to a very interesting sight. Wish I could tell you more about it, but that would ruin a bit of a surprise we've got going on here.

Gotta love working in the world of PR-never know what's coming next!

Girl On A Mission

I feel like a Facebook addict this morning, constantly refreshing the home page as I sit here with my yummy iced coffee and digital piles of microsoft word documents. You may wonder, isn't there something else she should be doing with her time in an internship? Nope. I'm doing research.

Facebook has become the newest, most convenient and effecient form of communication. I've found in trying to ask my fellow students in person what top 5 things they have in their dorm room for a story, they "don't have time" to chat or they can't think of it on the spot. Unless I knock door to door, there's no way I could get these answers. Which certainly is a possibility, however if there's a more productive route I'm going to take it. With Facebook, I post the question in a status, and am able to gain responses at the convenience of others as they are in their rooms looking around at what they appreciate most (I'm assuming laptop will come in at number one, but I may be wrong). Another benefit of using a Facebook status is the ability to reach a much broader audience. Here at Lasell, I could knock door to door. I could take the T to other institutions across Boston, however online I'm reaching my girl friends in NYC. My boyfriend's friend's in FL. My old friends in SC, and my friends who've transferred to ME.

See? Instant nationwide varied responses-well, at least if I keep refreshing the home page.

Intern-Mania!

One thing I love about Lasell is how small of a tight-knit community it is. For two of my major stories right now, I'm emailing people I haven't talked to in a long time about something they're doing and it's a great way to re-connect! Not only am I building a fantastic portfolio, but I'm able to follow what new and great things people I know are doing. I'm finding I've surrounded myself with quite an impressive crowd around here!

Another thing I'm truly enjoying is the wealth of information I take in every day. Each time I receive a story, I feel a rush to know more about it. If there's a website associated with any story (which most of the time, there is) I'm following it. Maybe I don't need to know every bit of information on every story, but it's those little background details that I feel give a piece a little something extra. I'll dive into a bio about a company founder, history of an organization, what goes on at each location branch, details of a competition.

I'm finding each day I work, I'm learning something new. Will I ever use the fact that Evelyn Murphy was Lt. Governer in 1986, or that The Food Project's Boston location is rooftop at the Boston Medical Center? Maybe, maybe not. But it's kind of like reading the book "How to Move Mt. Fuji" or "Why Flamingos Wear Pink"-I walk away chock-full of new information, and that's a great start to my day.

Emmalyn

Nice To Meet You

Hi there! I'm Emmalyn, the Communication Department's newest Spring 2011 intern, and I will be taking over this blog from now until May. I hope you enjoy hearing about my journey!

I've been here for about a week now, and already feel right at home with my own adorable little office and Michelle always happy to help with any questions my mind can manage to rack up!

Last Thursday, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the Boston Symphony Orchestra's Project Beethoven Fashion Desgin Competition at Symphony Hall in Boston. It felt GREAT to be sitting second row to the runway, taking notes and absorbing the glamorous atmosphere filled with patrons boasting glasses of fine wine, donned lavish fur coats. Among the attendees were Professor Ruppert, Dean Austin and Jim Ostrow, whom were great to talk to!

I truly appreciate, as someone who aspires to become an entertainment reporter, being able to have had the opportunity to be given such freedom within my first few days on-site at this internship. I love the feeling of responsibility, seeing the final-draft of a story I put hard work into, and even the editing/research process I'm finding I enjoy, too. I love coming up with all the answers to a story, watching it piece together!

As of right now, I'm working on a story on a previous alumni profile and highlighting some of Lasell's upcoming events in February/March. I'm finding the Lasell faculty to be so helpful when it comes to needing information/quotes/interviews..sometimes as a reporter that can be so difficult, yet here I seem to have half the stress than I've battled in the entertainment world!

Here's to more amazing stories-and nice to meet you!

Emmalyn