In a few sentences, describe your post-Biola work/life journey.

I finished up at Biola in May of 2014 and returned home to the East San Francisco Bay Area with three classes left on the docket in order to graduate. That summer, I took two online Bible courses through Moody, all the while interning at Diablo magazine, a lifestyle publication in the East Bay. In August, I was offered a full-time position as the assistant editor at Diablo and finished up my degree with a semester-long Saturday world literature class at a nearby community college while working full-time. Less than a year and a half into my career at Diablo Publications, I was asked to take on the role of managing editor for our ancillary publications, Napa Sonoma magazine and Diablo Weddings, and then a few months after that, I was promoted to managing editor of Diablo magazine, our main publication, which I did for about a year. In April, I was offered the position of content specialist for 24 Hour Fitness’ online publication and blog, 24 Life, which I will start this month. Oh, and in August I’m getting married!

What's your current occupation, and in what ways did getting a degree in English prepare you for the job?

I just recently left my position as managing editor of Diablo magazine, a lifestyle publication in the East San Francisco Bay Area, which basically means I managed the editorial team and editorial deadlines. I also wrote and edited stories, led brainstorming meetings, planned issue lineups with the editor-in-chief, moved the magazine through the production process (fact check, copy edit, copy fitting, etc.), promoted stories on social media, and more. My English degree prepared me for that role in a number of ways: I learned the importance of and basic structure of storytelling (how to write and craft a story); how to recognize and write for my audience; how to edit and refine my own work; and that to become a better writer, you have to read and emulate the work of authors you admire. Of course, as an English major taking upwards of three literature classes a semester (along with my other classes), I also learned how to manage my time and meet deadlines (writing papers and reading class texts), which is super important in my line of work.

I’m currently transitioning into the content specialist role for 24 Hour Fitness’ online magazine and blog, 24 Life. It’s safe to say that all of the above applies to this new role, for which I write, edit, work with freelancers, plan and execute stories, and more.

What was a favorite class or experience you had while a Biola English major?

I really enjoyed Professor Buchanan’s writing and editing class I took during my final semester at Biola. Not only was it a super fun class, but we actually learned and applied real-life technical skills, such as how to pitch an article to a magazine or publication, and how to write the article once it’s been approved. All of that prepared me for my job at Diablo. As an aspiring writer, learning to pitch articles (in my humble opinion) is perhaps even more important than the actual writing of the article itself. In my time as an editor, I can probably count on one hand the number of appropriate article pitches I’ve received. To an editor, it is so impressive when a freelancer has done the leg work and actually researched the publication he or she is pitching to before crafting and sending a pitch. Get to know the publication, study what types of articles and subject matters it’s covered before, learn the writing style and voice, and figure out what section of the magazine your article is appropriate for. All of those things were covered in Buck’s class, and I couldn’t be more grateful for him teaching me that! (I also had my first article published because of his class—thanks Buck!)

What about life after college was most surprising to you?

If I’m being 100% honest, I was pretty surprised when I left Biola and realized that I was not adequately prepared for the “real world.” This isn’t Biola’s fault, of course. I learned a lot in college, but for the most part, what’s taught in the classroom is not always an accurate reflection of what actually goes on in the real world—at least, it hasn’t been in my experience. Maybe it’s because I didn’t take enough journalism classes, who knows. What I do know, is that real-world knowledge isn’t something you learn in the classroom—you have to seek it out. Classroom knowledge is theory; you have to get off-campus and put that theory into practice. Apply for off-campus part-time jobs or internships (yes, multiple) that force you to interact in business and office settings. And start as early as freshman year! (I wish I would have.) The more internships you can get, the better in my opinion. Nowadays, everyone wants 3-5 years of experience for entry-level jobs. Internships can help with that, but you have to hustle. Networking is so important, and internships will really help you make connections that may lead to future job opportunities!

Oh, and absolutely take advantage of the career center: Ask for help with your résumé and practice writing cover letters. You have no idea how many awful résumés and cover letters I’ve received from college seniors. Guys, this is an easy fix! If you can’t Google it and figure it out, just go ask for help! Folks in the career center get paid to help you—FOR FREE!

What advice would you give to a current Biolan majoring in English? Or what's something you did in college that later helped you professionally?

Get involved in something related to your professional goals or aspirations. I knew I wanted to be an editor, so as soon as I got to Biola, I started looking for any “in” with the Chimes newspaper I could find. Luckily, my R.A. was friends with one of the editors. She connected us, and I immediately threw my hat in the ring to write any story she sent my way—regardless of my familiarity or interest in the subject matter. I did what I had to do to get my name out there and to start honing my craft. I also made an effort to visit the Chimes office so the staff would know who I was, and I expressed my interest in copy editing. So, it wasn’t a surprise that when the copy editing intern position opened up that next semester, they encouraged me to apply. The next semester, I was offered the senior copy editor position—a role that really prepared me for my current career (and looked great on my résumé to boot!).

What are you reading?

Because I read all day for my job and my eyes tend to hurt by the end of the day, I’ve really enjoyed listening to audiobooks and podcasts in my free time. Right now, I’m obsessed with the podcast, “My Favorite Murder”—a comedy (yes, comedy) podcast by Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff who retell stories of famous serial killers, lesser well-known murders, and everything in between. (Weird, I know, but I love that kind of Serial-esque stuff.) I’m also about halfway through the audiobook version of All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr, but have taken a short break to binge-listen to the aforementioned murder podcast (#noregrets), and I just recently downloaded the first few chapters of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale on Kindle, which I can’t wait to start reading because I loooove dystopian lit. Of course, I have a few unfinished books I’ve started reading sitting on my nightstand/bookshelf, and a “to read” list I have yet to put a dent in. But like I said, I read all day, so I prefer to let others read to me (especially if it’s in a cool, calm British accent—I mean, who doesn’t want that?).