My Weekend in Photos

My literal wake-up call. Whatever I do, I do it with enthusiasm.

Not many people in the office this early….

Good morning, beautiful.

A serious work of art.

Made me wanna shed a tear. (I’m serious.) Each day I thank God for my ability to work fervently and effectively.

My only evidence of friendships in NYC (we forget to take pictures). Sorry for the dismemberment, friends.

Dinner at Max Brenner with Wesleyan friends.

Just kidding. Here’s some evidence–but it’s all Greek to me.

Once Hernando gains fame, I’ll sell his signature on eBay for a big pile of moolah.

Saturday adventures with Emily.

Right before we witnessed/took part in a street performance.

Actually completely 100% obsessed with this lip color. (Last pic, I promise!)

Found these kitty pretties at Kinokuniya.

Stumbled upon this beaut!

Right before I met Giovonni, my new Italian friend.

One of my views after church this morning. I’ll never be able to explain how thankful I am to work in this beautiful building.

And then there’s Austin Mahone. I’ve been watching his YouTube videos for about two hours now. I don’t regret a thing.

Hope you had a great weekend!

Love,
Ashley

Seventeen Adventures: D&G Lipstick and App Creation

Started the day with a leap of confidence and a few swipes of my new Dolce & Gabbana lipstick. Good times. I actually received a lot of compliments.

1. Not even five minutes after I’d left my apartment, a woman on the subway (who I presumed wasn’t paying attention to anyone because she was reading) pointed at me and said, “Great lipstick,” right before she left the train. I giggled and told her thanks.
2. While walking through Columbus Circle, I came across a man who was walking the opposite direction as me. Before he could walk past me, though, he stepped right in front of me, stopped, and said, “Hey, you look cool!” He put a lot of emotion behind his words, too. Even raised and shook his hands when he talked. Again, I giggled and said thanks.
3. Minutes later, I was greeted by a woman who works for Hearst’s security division. Immediately she said, “That lipstick looks sooooo cool. You look awesome! I mean that. Looks. Great on you!” She told me how her son loves the color blue and says she never wears it enough, so she bought blue lipstick… but hadn’t found the courage to wear it just yet. I said, “Hey, it’s fashion week now. You can get away with it now more than ever!” She laughed and agreed, then told me that I’d given her the confidence to wear her lipstick in public. That was right before I hopped on the escalator and heard her telling a woman coming through the door, “Look at her lipstick! Look how great she looks!” More giggling coming from me.

I never dreamed this crazy lip color would attract such positive attention.

What do you think? Yay or nay?

I spent the entire day working on an app-related project for Sally Abbey, the executive managing editor. For this project, my job is to search through past issues of the magazine and collect content for four new Seventeen apps.

Apps.

I’m laying the groundwork for new apps.

Wow.

I can’t tell you any more than that right now, but I can tell you that Sally is impressed with my findings so far. She said my stack of 200+ printed PDFs was “amazing,” with a huge smile on her face. That was around 6:15, right after she said, “Ashley, go home!” and laughed when I told her I was having fun searching through the database. For the record, I was having fun. I’m always having fun.

I stayed until 7:00. I’m going in two hours early in the morning to finish. Deadline’s at 3:00, and anyone who knows me knows that I don’t mess around with deadlines. I don’t stop until my work’s finished. Maybe that’s how I wound up here…. The fact that Sally’s one of the highest ranking editors at Seventeen further fuels that fire.

Apps on apps on apps.

Me, leaving at 7:00. I am completely ridiculous(ly happy).

Tomorrow’s Friday, and that means dinner with Molly and Tiffany, two Wesleyan friends! Until then….

Love,
Ashley

Seventeen Adventures: My Birthday

I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling 22!

Right at midnight, as I was painting my fingernails, Adam called to play Taylor Swift’s “22,” my theme for the day. Jamie and Chris were also in on that plan. We talked for a little while before I called my parents and later tried to fall asleep, but there was one problem–I couldn’t fall asleep! It felt like more than my birthday. It felt like Christmas, and I don’t mean Christmas when you’re 22. I mean Christmas when you’re 5. I was too excited to sleep, not knowing what the day to come would hold for me. Little did I know that I was going to have the best birthday ever. I’m 100% serious.

I woke up early so that I could stop by Starbucks, grab my free drink, and drop off a couple packages to the mail room, but before I could even get out the door, my roommates surprised me with cupcakes–complete with such a sweet card, candles, everything. I was so surprised!

Like I said, too excited.

I settled into my desk around 9:45am. Not long after that, Jackie showed up with… what’s this? A chocolate chip muffin from Dunkin’ Donuts? Yes! And that’s when I started being bombarded with sweets. (Not that I minded much!)

Breakfast of champions. Or at least of this champion.

Right after that is when Hanna came in. She handed me a note from Emily, my friend from middle school who also works at Hearst. She’d run into Emily on the elevator, and that’s when this note was delivered safely into the hands that would soon meet mine.

Can’t believe God brought our paths together like this. Emily is wonderful!

So here I am, starting the daily clips and YouTube research and smiling and giggling to myself because it’s already such a great day. I worked unwaveringly until about 10:50 because I saw what time it was and knew what was coming next: my big surprise. I had two gifts delivered to Meaghan and Lindsay, the two women who are guiding me through this internship, and I knew the mail ran around 11 o’clock. Again, I was too excited! I gave them gifts out of sheer appreciation. Many interns will wait until their last couple weeks to tell those around them how much they appreciate them, but what says I can’t or shouldn’t do that sooner? I couldn’t wait that long. If you appreciate someone, you should tell them right then and there! They were both so surprised and smiling when they thanked me soon after. The looks on their faces were seriously all that was needed to warm my heart.

Soon after that, the ever-wonderful Adam had his secret birthday gift delivered: a box of sweet, beautiful, glorious macarons from Macaron Cafe. He knew I’d been dying to try them for months. That guy went and made me smile, as always. Sometimes I wonder how he does it.

Fast forward a little bit to lunch, where I put normal food into my stomach! Can’t say it wasn’t sugary, because most of it was carbs and fruit, but that’s okay because calories don’t count on your birthday. (Remember that for future reference.) I ate with several of the girls and then headed back upstairs so that Hanna and Jackie could do their mock photo shoot for a proposal. When I got to my desk, I found a thank you note and coupon from Meaghan. Totally unexpected, and so sweet!

Our coffee date is set for February 25, 8:30am, unless she’s still tied up with fashion week (!) and other events. 

After that I obtained some fabulous Dolce & Gabbana lipstick and finished up a few tasks. The end of the day–and my final birthday celebration–was nearing.

Dolce & Gabbana Smeralda. Gotta check this guy out (at work, obviously) sometime later this week.

Finally, my first legit picture on the couch as an intern.

After work, Hanna, Jackie, and Emily took me to Serendipity, home of the famous Frrrozen Hot chocolate (which I consumed as quickly as possible). We each got our own dessert, and they even paid for me! Again, I wasn’t expecting that at all. They seriously made my day complete. So happy that I could share not only this day, but also these next few months with these girls friends.

Photo courtesy of Hanna

We hung out for a while and enjoyed each other’s company before going our separate ways. Once it was time to leave, Hanna helped me figure out which train to take home. However, that was a little more strenuous than expected, as my train decided to be a no-show. No big deal, though. I left the station and hailed my first cab, then rode through the city until I was home. It seriously felt like The Devil Wears Prada. My winter coat, the beautiful buildings and lights, and the many thoughts running through my head and heart. I couldn’t help but smile. The city is a beautiful place, and one in which I am absolutely blessed to work. As always, God watched over my day, but this day felt more special than many others. Maybe it was because I prayed that He’d open my eyes to new blessings, no matter the size, or maybe it’s because my heart was ready to receive these positive moments. I think it was a mixture of both.

Yeah, that sounds about right. It sounds perfect to me.

And if that wasn’t enough, I had two packages waiting for me back at the apartment. One from Adam that contained a touch light for my closet (yes!), and another from my parents. The package from them contained so. many. things. All I could do was cry as I sorted through it. Remembering that moment and the rush of emotions will probably always bring tears to my eyes. I’ll never forget it. They sent newly printed pictures in new frames, my WVWC sweatshirt that I accidentally left at home, a bracelet, a million different kinds of snacks, and a card that I will always cherish. Later I talked to my grandmothers on the phone, and, of course, that always brings a smile.

A few of my favorite things from today. To the individuals who sent me these gifts: I am more than blessed to have you in my life. This day couldn’t have been so great without you. Not pictured: Pop-Tarts and other assorted snacks.

I can’t get over how perfect this day was. Like my dad said, if only every day was this great for everybody around us. Wouldn’t that be amazing? I hope I can carry this attitude, encourage others around me, and remain a light to the world for a long, long while.

Love,
Ashley

Seventeen Adventures: Today’s Photos

A glimpse of the day through my eyes:

Get ready for an exciting post tomorrow. I had one planned for tonight, but there just aren’t enough hours in the day. Soon I’ll figure out real world time management (i.e., not college time management).

Love,
Ashley

Monday’s Excitement

Today started out like every other day in New York–wake up, get ready, sleepily ride the subway to work. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Sent this to my family to let them know I was on my way. This new Victoria’s Secret lip stain is everything. Guy in the background even agrees.

So I got to work, settled in with my morning hot chocolate, and began my work for the day. Instead of starting with the daily clips, I went straight to the emails that I’d forwarded to myself over the weekend–emails relating to Traumarama and gross celeb PDA–so that I wouldn’t forget to prepare them for their appropriate editors. After that, I worked on the clips with the other interns, but it wasn’t long before our work was finished, all thanks to the Grammys. Almost everything on our document was Grammy related.

Since that was finished, I started calling on guys for quotes. I’m primarily assisting Seventeen‘s love editor, so talking to guys and getting their perspectives is one of my biggest responsibilities as an intern. It’s really not as easy as you might think! No matter how many guy friends I think I have, I quickly run out of sources when there are a million different questions that need to be answered. With that said, this job is great for making new guy acquaintances and “meeting” new Wesleyan students. Thankfully I found nine guys who were willing to answer questions and provide head shots for possible inclusion in the magazine, all before my EOD deadline. My editor even called me “a rockstar!” I can dig it.

Now let’s backtrack a little bit.

While I was working on that document, a welcomed interruption came about: I was asked to take a cab to the editor-in-chief’s apartment to pick up some necessities. Tip No. 1: When someone in the office asks you to do something, say yes with a happy heart. This goes for anything, whether you’re asked to organize a drawer or reload the paper in the printer. It’s the little things that allow your positive work ethic and attitude to shine through, and that’s what makes you a memorable, likable intern. In all seriousness, though, how couldn’t I work with a happy heart? I’m at Seventeen Magazine! I’m giddy thankful to simply walk through the door each day. This internship is a gift–a gift I’m accepting with grace. (And in case you’re wondering, Ann’s building is beautiful.)

The cab ride to Ann’s was also my first time being in a cab. As if I didn’t already know this, traffic in NYC is soooo much more exciting than it is in West Virginia. Lots of honking and sudden lane changes (haha).

The rest of the day consisted of different things. For lunch, in case you’re wondering, I had an unexciting bowl of spaghetti. I won’t bore you with those details, but, speaking of lunch, I will be lunching on Wednesday with a middle school friend who also happens to be interning at Hearst! My friend Emily, who I haven’t seen or talked to since seventh grade, is currently an intern at Esquire. I don’t know about you, but I think it’s awesome that someone from home actually works in the same building as me. What are the odds of that happening? I mean really.

My notepad has become almost like a written journal. Below you’ll find today’s “entry.” Please ignore the random grocery list(s) thrown into the mix.

And if that excitement wasn’t enough, I came home to find letters in my mailbox. There was a card from Emma, my sorority sister, and another from my Sunday school teachers. A letter from Adam mysteriously appeared underneath my door yesterday, so I couldn’t forget about it while taking this picture:

Aside from the half cupcake I had earlier, this put the icing on the cake.

That’s all for today! As always, thanks for reading.

Love,
Ashley

My Day in Pictures

Enjoy!

Today’s jewelry from the freebie table pulled my outfit together. My teal bauble necklace didn’t quite mesh with my gold belt until I found these other fun neon colors to bring cohesiveness to the look.

See what I mean about the jewelry? Along with the neon bling, my blue dyed skinnies made the sweater vest and button-up shirt more playful. Leopard print shoes balanced the vest’s pattern, too.

This turkey club sandwich from Cafe 57 was soooo good. I forgot to pack my lunch last night, and I figured it wouldn’t hurt to spend a couple of bucks on something at work.
Fun Fact #1: All food in Cafe 57 is from Hearst’s farm in Texas.
Fun Fact #2: Despite what you might be thinking, this photo isn’t upside down.

Today’s highlight: watching Justin Bieber’s arraignment via Perez Hilton.

And then there was this. My blog’s already had 101 views today. (Since you’re reading it, too, you can add at least one more view to that.)

After I’d come home from work, Malini, one of my roommates, surprised me with Crumbs cupcakes.

Not only was the red velvet delicious, but it was also the best way to end the day. I even have a little bit left over for tomorrow.

More later!

Ashley

Seventeen: Day 2

I’ve been going to bed after 1:00 AM for the past several mornings, so it’ll soon be time for this girl to hit the hay.

Originally I had hoped to update right after dinner. However, I watched last night’s Pretty Little Liars episode, and it took a while before the video worked properly.

But if you’re wondering, it was well worth the wait.

I had to hustle to get to work on time today. Because of Winter Storm Janus, trains were delayed and everyone’s schedule was thrown off. Thankfully I made it in time to capture this blue beauty:

And have a piping hot cup of hot chocolate ready for sipping before 10:00 AM.

Like yesterday, the day flew by. I finished a couple of assignments, started new ones, and even worked on a few that I maybe shouldn’t mention just yet. Here are a few things that I can show, though:

Intern Melissa’s Instagram photo was regrammed by the interns today. As expected, Intern Lauren, my newest friend, won the contest with a whopping 144 likes. You go, girl.

I did my thang all day. There’s no place else I’d rather be.

And, with the blessing of an editor, I left the office for a little while to go do cute things with my friends. I actually cannot see how working at Seventeen could be anything short of awesome.

That’s all for now. Check back later!

Love,
Ashley

My First Day at Seventeen Magazine

As you can tell by reading the title, today was my first day at Seventeen! Let me tell you about it. Ready?

So! I woke up at 7:00 this morning. It was surprisingly easy to wake up, considering that

1. My apartment windows let in very little sunlight, making even the brightest morning look like it’s actually midnight,
2. It was cold, and
3. I didn’t fall asleep until 2 a.m. because I was too excited to start work.

After showering, throwing on makeup and a dress and acting like I spent lots of time on my hair (I didn’t), I headed toward the subway. Because it was my first day, it was hectic; not because of any large mass of people, but because I actually had to take the right train and couldn’t afford to mess up and be late. I figured out the transit and even made it to work early! But not before taking this selfie:

Note the bewildered stare. Am I cool yet? No? That’s okay, I didn’t think so.

Once I got to Hearst, I waited in line to get my first day security pass. A few minutes later, I took this selfie, feeling much better after conquering the subway and coming face-to-face with my very first day of work.

Now that’s better.

And that’s about the time I met Jackie, another features intern who also started today. Minutes later, she and I picked up our passes, and we soon found ourselves punching 1-7 into the elevator keypad. We were actually starting this journey! We made it upstairs, and after a few minutes of struggling to correctly dial Executive Assistant to the EIC Meaghan on the phone, she walked up to the office doors, warmly introduced herself to us, let us in (!), and then proceeded to show us around the office and introduce us to the editors. It still felt like a dream at that point.

A short time later, I began researching. I researched guy-friendly food on the web, communicated with guy friends to get the what? and why? on their favorite man foods, and began compiling all of this info onto a memo for Lindsay, my editor. I was also asked to find cute things for Seventeen’s Instagram, so that was fun. Currently I have daily deadlines along with tomorrow’s Dude Food deadline and Friday’s Real Guy Quote deadline. And I love that.

You might imagine the office to be crazy stressful, but that’s far, far from true. I was surprised to learn that people aren’t rushing around, throwing papers and frantically putting finishing touches on things. They’re calm! Maybe it’s because today was my first day; maybe I just didn’t get a chance to see that side of the company; but I don’t think that’s the case. Everyone was extremely friendly, welcoming, helpful, and all-around great. I mean it when I say this was the best first day I ever could’ve imagined. I had a blast.

In addition to Intern Jackie, I met Melissa, Sami, and Hanna, the other features interns, and had a fun lunch hour with 3/4 of them (Sami went to lunch later). It was so nice to eat and talk about how nobody wants to keep up with the Kardashians anymore. Today I also learned that I’ll be one of three full-time features interns for the semester. Gotta say I’m pretty excited about that, especially after seeing Meaghan’s tweet.

That’s a hefty applicant pool. On top of that excitement, I scored a free bottle of OPI #17delete nail polish, scoped out the beautiful, glorious freebie table, and bought two chocolate chocolate chip cookies for less than $1. I call that a successful day!

More to come tomorrow! Thanks for reading and keeping up with my journey!

Love,
Ashley

I’m in New York!

We made it! It’s late, so I’m going to keep this post short and sweet.

My family and I finally made it into the city on Saturday morning, around 10:30. We checked into my apartment, unpacked some stuff, and went on our way.

This is seriously my apartment?

Our main mission was to visit Hearst Tower.

An Instagram photo could never capture this building’s beauty.

I like cheese (obviously).

And once we got there, we were motioned inside by a security guard who graciously took us on a (quick) private tour. Wow.

Where I’ll eat lunch. So cool.

And I even saw the office and sat on the couch!

It was such a fun day with my family. I was sad to see them leave this evening, but I know I’m here with purpose. I know I’ll do great–even through all the initial big city jitters.

I love them more than anything.

This is only day one. I can’t wait to see what else this wonderful place has in store! For updates throughout the day, follow me on Twitter or Instagram. Username: @ashleyisyoung. Thanks for reading!

Pharos Volume 106 Issue 3

Pharos Issue 3 was released on Thursday, November 7, 2013.

Editor-in-Chief: Ashley Young
Assistant to the Editor-in-Chief: Dylan Newcome
Layout Editor: Ethan Butler

WVWC Pharos Volume 106 Issue 3