Jennifer Suh
Family Circle, Meredith Corporation
Princeton, NJ | Boston College
Here’s what a typical day for me looks like: I wake up a little after 7 a.m. and get ready. By 8 a.m., I’m out the door of my apartment in New Jersey, and I catch the ferry at the terminal by the Hudson. I get to the office between 9:15 and 9:30 am. The first thing I do when I arrive is check my email while eating my breakfast—I usually bring it, because I can’t eat so early in the morning. I make a list of what I have to do that day, from most urgent to least urgent, on a Post-it. Then, I collect whatever has arrived in the mailroom for the editors and distribute any newspapers, magazines or letters. (A lot of books arrive throughout the day for the executive editor, and I give these to her at the end of the day, because there’s so many!)
My assignments vary depending on the week, but you can find me at my desk either fact-checking, researching, interviewing, transcribing, pitching or writing. When I’m not at my desk, I may be at a PR event covering for an editor that day. Going to these events is fun and interesting but doesn’t happen very often for interns. So when the executive editor would ask if I could attend in her place, I would always say yes!
Attending these events was enlightening and eye-opening, because I was able to understand better how companies promote their products and develop relationships with magazines. I especially looked forward to going to work in the morning when I had ongoing projects, such as interviewing former Olympic gymnasts Nadia Comaneci and Dominique Dawes, and working on stories for the health director.
As the articles and health intern, I worked frequently with the two health editors. Both editors were incredibly helpful and welcoming, and I really enjoyed working with them. I never thought I would be finding the latest research on antibiotic resistance or interviewing doctors about cold and flu symptoms, but I ended up loving the experience. I also worked with the deputy editor, a former ASME intern, who guided me when I was writing stories and provided comments on them.
Born in Seoul and based in New Jersey, Jennifer studies a mix of English, journalism and French at Boston College. A few of the things she loves the most in life are tea, running, fashion and her four-year-old brother Aden.
The comments and feedback that the editors provided were detailed, constructive and honest—I definitely learned so much about magazine writing this summer. Every day, I also interacted with the associate editor, who was my supervisor, and the editorial assistant, whose desk was next to mine, as well as interns in other departments. It was so nice to be able to be friendly with each other throughout my internship, and it made work a hundred times better. Something I’m so thankful for about being placed at Family Circle is the people here. Because the staff at Family Circle is relatively small, everyone knows each other and keeps up with each other. Throughout the summer, I kept thinking how the Family Circle staff actually felt like a “family”…Of course, everyone is professional, but the office atmosphere always felt open and comfortable. I feel really lucky to have gotten the opportunity to work at Family Circle. My experience here was rewarding and exciting—the magazine even went through a redesign over the summer!—I’ll forever be a Family Circle fan.