When I intern, I prefer to go out to eat around in the small cafes and restaurants rather than stick around inside in the building’s cafeteria. A sea of fashion interns in New York City flood the streets during the nine-to-five time frames each weekday. There is nothing more inspirational than enjoying a Chiptole chicken and rice bowl while you watch ambitious Fashionistas/os walk by. On this particular day, I found a fashion intern that takes personal style to a whole new level. Instead of sticking to the business-chic look for casual Fridays, she really took advantage of the work holiday to get comfy and sporty.
Name: Jannel Varona
Role: Fashion magazine intern
CollegeFashionista: Why did you decide to go into fashion?
Jannel Varona: As a little girl, I always saved every magazine I got in the mail. Every once in a while, I would rip all the pages out and make collages for my binders and book covers for school. Fashion was a way I expressed myself when I was younger and my interest in fashion has only developed from then. Fashion has been a big part of my life so I knew it was an industry I wanted to pursue a career in.
CF: Since you grew up reading magazines, do you prefer the journalism or the creative, tangible side of fashion?
JV: I actually am a journalism major! I love to write. When I started school at Rutgers University in Newark, I got jobs writing for the school newspaper and even the student-run magazine on campus. Now I continue to contribute articles for Huffington Post for their college section and I started my own blog.
CF: What type of office attire do people wear at your publishing internship?
JV: It depends on the person. Just by looking at any employee, you can tell if they are an intern or a permanent employee just by what clothing choices they have. With the interns, it is more laid back where jeans are accepted and clean sneakers. I noticed that throughout my internship career, companies or departments that have a technological influence, like digital content or even graphics, the employees prefer comfort over style. I feel like the more comfortable you are in your clothes or your work outfit, you perform better. But if you prefer wearing heels and dresses each day, that is all up to you.
Learn More: This Fashionista will be graduating from Rutgers this year. Make sure you keep an eye out for her as she will most likely dominate the magazine/publishing industry for fashion.
