LIFE

My first day as an intern at GL, I came in wearing a full suit, even though it was a really hot day. I had on a white blouse with a black pencil skirt and black shoes that gave me blisters...I can only imagine how ridiculous I must have looked. My supervisor looked concerned and told me that it was OK to dress casually in the offices.  

I grew up in Korea and before I came to the U.S., all I knew about American schools and the magazine industry was what I had seen in Mean Girls and The Devil Wears Prada. Toss in the fact that my English isn't perfect, and you can imagine I was super-nervous for my internship at GL. Thankfully, those movies were so not like reality, and everyone was so nice to me from the start.

Two weeks after I started my internship, I was working at GL's Fash Bash, one of the magazine's biggest events of the year. It was so much fun putting together the outfits and preparing for the fashion show. Plus, I was able to get involved in all of the aspects of a fashion shoot, from making props to returning samples. Real world experiences like these don't come easily, and they are very valuable to me. Not everything was smooth sailing due to my limited English (I have definitely made some mistakes along the way), but I was able to learn so much here in such a short time. 

My time at GL is filled with highlights, but edit meetings definitely stand out as some of the most enjoyable (but at the same time terrifying!). In our weekly editorial meetings, all interns bring their editorial ideas in and get articles get assigned to them. More times than not, I would bring ideas, but my introverted personality stood in the way of sharing them. I would sit and listen most of the time, but through that listening I have picked up on a lot of slang and trends that I wouldn't have known about if I had stayed home.

Soon I will be going back to Korea, but my time in the U.S. and at GL has opened up a new world for me. I don't know what challenges I'll face in school or in my career at home, but I know my time here has prepared me to face them with more confidence than ever. 

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