For the last seven years, I have defined myself largely by my role as a journalist. I helped found my high school’s newspaper in ninth grade and spent the next four years writing articles as varied as an investigative piece on grade inflation and an editorial on skinny shaming. My goal was to cover as many aspects of student life as possible, and I never shied away from writing about the divisive issues that accompanied this task.

During the summer between high school and my freshman year of college, I co-founded a local branch of a national chic feminism magazine called Aberrance Quarterly. I organized a fashion editorial with a local business and wrote one of my all-time favorite pieces: a profile of a Holocaust survivor.

In college, I continued pursuing my love for journalism. I spent my freshman year writing news and feature articles for The Flat Hat, William and Mary’s student newspaper, while simultaneously editing others’ articles as a copy editor. One of the most difficult pieces I wrote that year was a 20-person profile of professors who had won a prestigious award. I spent three days calling professors and scrambling to arrange interviews, but by the time the issue came out, I had produced a piece I was proud of.

I secured my first professional internship the following summer. At Kiplinger’s Personal Finance in Washington, D.C., I worked mainly with the web team. The summer was fast-paced and challenging –– I was able to produce several pieces for Kiplinger.com and hone my research, fact checking, and interviewing skills.

In my second year of college, I was elected deputy editor of The Saint, St Andrews’ student newspaper, after serving as money editor for one semester. I encouraged my staff to revitalize the paper’s layout by incorporating modern design elements, and I continued these efforts with full print and web redesigns after transitioning to the role of editor-in-chief.

The summer between my second and third years, I returned to Kiplinger. I produced original articles and slide shows discussing everything from travel stopovers to Clinton and Trump’s stances on money issues. I also worked with Kiplinger’s community editor to hone my social media skills, designed infographics for the web and social media, and appeared on local and national radio shows to discuss the issues covered in my articles.

Last summer, I served as the ASME editorial intern at Smithsonian. The American Society of Magazine Editors’ summer internship program allows about 30 rising seniors to intern at prominent magazines in D.C. and New York.

I am always seeking opportunities in magazine and digital journalism/new media. You can contact me at mmsolly@email.wm.edu.