How Carolyn Twersky Turned Her Internships Into Opportunities
Transitioning from being a student into the workforce is no easy task. Assistant Editor for Seventeen Magazine’s Carolyn Twersky knows that feeling all too well. From a small town in Connecticut, Carolyn overcame the roadblocks that appeared on her journey to becoming an editor. She credits the people that helped her along the way and continues to think of her next big move. Today, you can find Carolyn’s name under the byline of a Seventeen article with topics that talk about fashion, politics, celebrities, beauty, health, and entertainment.
Seventeen Magazine was a staple publication when I was a teenager so, it was an amazing experience talking to Carolyn. Check out our conversation below where we talk about the student life, making your own path, art, fashion, and the future of how teens will receive content.
1) According to your LinkedIn, you had a rapid transition from being a student at Northwestern in Chicago to a full time intern in NYC. What was that transition like and were there any stressful moments?
Yeah, totally! I went to Northwestern and I studied Journalism and I actually loved it. But, I’m originally from the East Coast. I’m from Connecticut and I feel like New York is very much the center of the magazine world. I always knew that I was going to come to New York after college. So, I when was looking for a job – I was looking for jobs in New York. I wanted to do something in magazines and writing. I applied to a ton of places. The summer going into my Junior year, I interned for Seventeen I kept in touch with everyone. I also freelanced a little while I was in college. So, I reached out to Seventeen and asked if they had a job and they said ‘actually we’re hiring.’ I was like, ‘oh my God amazing.’ I did the edit test. The interview was really crazy because it was with my old boss. I got the position and I headed to New York a week after graduation. I moved into my apartment, settled, and I went right to work. I spent six months as a fellow; then it worked out that right when I was getting ready to finish up my fellowship, my boss came to me and said that they wanted to hire me as an editor and would love for me to apply. I got the position. I learned a lot as a fellow. I was pretty much a staff writer and I am more or less getting the same thing. Now, I’m focusing a little bit more on feature stories.
2) I noticed you mentioned that when in transition to NYC, you moved into an apartment a week after graduation. Tell me about that process. I know NYC is extremely expensive.
So, I’m very very fortunate. My parents bought an apartment in the city. It was very much like, we know you guys are going to be in the city at some point so, instead of us supporting you then, we’re just going to buy an apartment. I’ve been in this apartment and it’s really great. As a fellow, I barely made enough and I would not of been able to live in the city. I would have to live in Connecticut and commute. It definitely made the transition easier. I stressed about so many things and I didn’t have to stress about an apartment.
3) From being a Teen Blogger for the Huffington Post to Seventeen Magazine, what major lessons did you learn in these positions along the way?
I’m going to rewind a lot and go back to when I was in high school. I knew I wanted to be a journalist from when I was 15 or 16 but, my high school did not have a newspaper. I was really upset because I wanted to write and I didn’t have an outlet like so many other people. So, I set up an internship program – which they still have to this day. The editor-in-chief took me under her wing. That’s when I did the Huff Post Teen blogging. I would say that is absolutely the biggest lesson. If there are not opportunities for you…you have to make your own opportunities. I could have easily said ‘oh there is no newspaper’ I guess I have to wait. That completely jump started my career as a journalist. Doing that is one of the smartest things I’ve ever done and I would tell anyone. Go out and get what you want because the opportunities are out there.
4) I saw that you have a blog and that includes the topic of art along with fashion . Why art?
I am really interested in art. I have no clue when that came to be. I’ve always loved going to museums. A few years ago I got more into contemporary art and new up-and-coming artist. I was at The Cut for three months last winter and I covered art for them. I would go out to Lower Manhattan, interview artist and go to galleries. The arts is such a fun world. That’s always been a passion of mine and it’s always been something that I have been interested in doing. So, for a really long time I really wanted to either write for art or fashion. I think fashion is an artwork, it’s so gorgeous and fun. In making the blog it gave me a place to write about topics that we don’t talk about at Seventeen. I think I have decided that I want to focus more on art. Critiquing is hard because the art world is so small and the art journalism world is even smaller. I absolutely love writing about both of those things.
5) How do you go about coming up with good story ideas for Seventeen.com? Where do you go for inspiration?
I come up with 3 to 5 pitches. It depends on the day. I see what is really trending. Recently, unfortunately, there’s been a lot of suicides for Parkland survivors so, I will send those in. As for things are coming in, I’m constantly on Twitter and the internet.
6) When you transitioned from internships or jobs, what did you do to make sure you were writing in the publication’s voice?
When I was at The Cut they had a very specific voice. Seventeen is very different. Gen Z-ers I would just say whenever you’re entering a job or just starting a job, read their content. In the week I got the job at Seventeen, I read every article. That really helped me to get an idea for the voice. Really get a grasp on the voice. It is so important to do that.
7) Is writing three articles a day the normal?
No it depends. If I see anything – I’ll send it. Throughout the day I probably write maybe 5 to 10 articles. We also update our timeline.
8) Who’s your journalist crush?
It’s really cliché but I would say Gloria Steinam.
9) What do you think the future will be for how teenagers receive content?
We’re always talking about that. Our Snapchat team is huge. We put a lot into Snapchat and video. Our YouTube is more celebrities doing their thing. The next thing is probably going to be Snapchat. That is probably the new way that they’re getting their news. We’re working to put a lot of our content on there.
10) What advice would you give other students who are currently internship applying?
So, I think it’s really hard to break into the journalism industry right now. If you have friends in the industry or just people that you know, be in constant communication with them. Foster that. I applied to 20 jobs when I graduated. It’s all about relationships and networking.