English Student, Writer, and Social Media Strategist
Havilah Sciabbarrasi
Editorial Intern
Phone:
813-516-1231
Email:
Address:
2421 Jackson Bluff Road
Tallahassee, FL 32304
A Bit About Me
I was selected as an intern to work with Jack and Susan on Nomadic Noles, a magazine that publishes annually through FSU and is centered around the international program based in Valencia. As an intern, I worked closely with the teachers of Spain's EWM program to strategize article topics and innovative designs for the magazine. I also supervised a group of three students, and was tasked with editing their article drafts and providing feedback, as well as acting as a liaison between the students and the professors. Through this experience, I honed my leadership skills, learned how to write proficient copy and nonfiction articles, and collaborated closely with students and teachers alike to help create the best possible magazine.
Work Experience
Editing
This involved providing constructive feedback to students that I supervised as they wrote their articles for Nomadic Noles. I also conducted performance evaluations on each student to assess their overall progress and work in the program.
Writing
My responsibilities involved writing an article that focused on something related to Valencia. I chose to retrace the steps of Hemingway as a modern day woman and critically examine his contributions to the literary canon.
I was also responsible for drafting interview questions and transcribing my interview with David Nordlund, an FSU professor and primary source for my article.
Design
Jack and I would often collaborate on design ideas for the Nomadic Noles Instagram account. I employed Canva and visual marketing strategies to advertise the magazine to viewer
Student 1:
Edited First Draft:
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Edited Third Draft:
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Student 2:
Edited Second Draft:
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Edited Third Draft:
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Student 3:
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Edited Third Draft:
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Hemingway Article:
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Interview Questions:
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Interview Transcript:
Student Stories Post:
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Gema Feature:
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Instagram:
My Reflection
In my time as an intern for Nomadic Noles, I learned so much about myself. Not only did I improve upon my editing and writing skills, I gained a newfound appreciation for the importance of design and built strong relationships with my peers and instructors.
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Throughout my time in Valencia, I pushed myself outside my comfort zone by writing about Hemingway, interviewing multiple sources and traveling all over the city in order to put myself in his shoes. Journalistic writing is incomplete without empathy, and I was able to understand and critically analyze Hemingway in a new light, as a problematic figure who contained multitudes. I also ventured into interviewing territory, talking to people of all different backgrounds and asking them about Hemingway. I applied firm pressure when I wanted to know people's opinions and forged conversational bonds with my sources so they were able to open up in a comfortable environment. Furthermore, I was able to parse through my interviews, which were hours long each, and select quotes that best suited my article and preserved the original opinion of my source.
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I also learned how to be a vocal and reliable proponent of the editorial process. Through my experience as an editorial intern, I worked closely with three students over the course of six weeks to craft their articles and provide mentorship if they had questions. At multiple points, my students would come to me with questions about their writing and how to improve. I was honored that they trusted me with their writing: it's one of the most vulnerable things a person can do. Their trust in me pushed me to be a better editor, and consider their stories and what their vision was. I guided my students to pursue the heart of their story and craft the rest around the main message they wanted readers to take away form their writing. I provided technical instruction on grammar and punctuation, as well as pacing and structure. More importantly, when they expressed doubt in their writing, I made sure to encourage them and provide constructive criticism that pushed them to make their stories better instead of seeing them as failures. I also led a presentation and mini lesson on the editorial process, teaching students my basic rules for editing and giving examples of the author-editor relationship. Overall, I grew more confident in my editorial skills and ability to lead others, as I took on a leadership role multiple times throughout the summer. I learned the value in collaborating with my peers and getting to know them on a personal level, as it helped me understand their writing style and intention and enhance their work.
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My biggest challenge was time management. with only six weeks, it was hard to pace myself accordingly. I got a late start on pursuing sources for my article. Some of this was due to their response times, but I could have been more proactive with garnering sources. In the future, I will be more assertive and craft a schedule for myself as a way to structure my writing process. Another challenge was familiarizing myself with the design process. I have no natural talent for design, so it was a tough adjustment to learn inDesign and Photoshop. However, with the help of my peers and experimentation, I was able to gain a solid understanding of the interfaces and use them effectively to design my article.
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I also had the privilege of working with Jack and Susan, who were instrumental in my success this summer. I learned about the technical aspects of journalism (headlines, sidebars) and the human side. Their years of experience and familial teaching styles made it easy to open up to them. Journalism is not a solo journey, I learned. To make a magazine, it truly takes a team.
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I am grateful for the opportunity afforded to me by FSU to study abroad in Valencia for the EWM program. I produced an article that embodies the spirit of the program, implementing editing, writing, and media elements. I also learned how to communicate with students under my authority and professors who supervised me. My time in Spain has been crucial to me evolution as a writer and will be a major stepping stone to my aspirations as a fiction editor one day.
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