Andrew Chow Will Surprise You (Even if He Doesn't Think He Will)

Andrew Chow braves the mud at the Governors Ball NYC Music Festival

Andrew Chow’s black and blonde glasses tip back and forth on the tabletop. One moment they're on his face, the next folded up in his hands, then dangling gracefully over the small, café table at Barnes & Noble in Union Square. The rhythmic movement of his glasses continues as he talks about his internship at TV Guide magazine, his work on The Harvard Crimson campus newspaper, and his view of New York City—the place he calls home.

But then he pauses when it comes to a different question: "What would people be surprised to know about you?"

He can’t think of anything.

Hearing Andrew’s story, it’s clear he underestimates his individuality.

He explains how at TV Guide, his job mostly entails watching TV pilots. But if Andrew could choose an entertainment beat, he’d pick music.

“I definitely like music,” Andrew says. “I started playing the piano when I was five. I had a lesson every week, and I got really into it.”

A rising senior studying history and literature at Harvard College, Andrew’s in the Harvard Sunday Jazz Band and has played piano in the pit orchestra for musicals such as Dreamgirls, Hair, and RENT—a production where he served as the assistant music director.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Andrew said. “There’s such a strong community in the pit because you’re stuck in these cramped quarters, and you’re practicing with them every day for sometimes two or three weeks more.”

When choosing a college, Andrew first considered a small, liberal arts school where he could pursue music and writing. But when Harvard welcomed him, he couldn’t say no.

“It’s kind of hard to turn down Harvard,” Andrew says. “And I’m really happy. There are a lot of different niche cultures at Harvard.”

Andrew found his niche not only in the jazz band but at The Harvard Crimson on the Music Board. Joining the staff required a semester-long application period, known as a “comp process.” After that, Andrew was elected to the board before he pursued a leadership position as Music Editor. While applying for the job, Andrew thought he was a long shot when competing against his friend Austin Siegemund-Broke, another member of the Music Board.

“I honestly felt like I was probably going to get placed as something else,” Andrew says. “But I got music and Austin got features. So I beat him.”

Though “shooting” was competitive, Siegemund-Broke said he and Andrew became good friends through the process—even if Andrew still taunts him about his win.

“My first experience about knowing Andrew was when I had to run for a job against him,” Siegemund-Broke, a rising senior and current intern at The Hollywood Reporter, says. “And I had to critique all his writing in the most harshest way I could. When the whole thing boiled down, we became very good friends.”

Siegemund-Broke now serves as the board chair for the weekly arts magazine, while Andrew has returned to writing.

“I decided I wanted to write more and do a column,” Andrew said. “So now he [Siegemund-Broke] is in charge of arts, and I’m just more actively writing. It worked out really well for both of us.”

Siegemund-Broke recognizes Andrew’s desire to write through working with him.

 

“I’m still on arts, and I sort of miss editors like him who were so gung-ho about coming up with features that they thought were really cool,” Siegemund-Broke says. “He seems, to me, to be a little bit more interested in writing than editing. He’s definitely someone I see being a staff writer at any major publication he wished.”

Already this summer, Andrew attended Governors Ball Music Festival on Randall’s Island for a music column in The Crimson. His favorite thing about New York: free outdoor concerts. He’ll even be playing his own concert with his high school band at Sullivan Hall, a nightclub in Greenwich Village.

“My old high school rock band is playing in late July,” Andrew says. “We’re all really good friends. We always have one big cover song, but we write most of our own stuff.”

When he’s not attending concerts for Crimson articles or rocking out on stage with his own band, you can find Andrew at the TV Guide offices near Times Square. He applied for the ASME intern program to gain experience at a well-known publication and to live in NYC for the summer with his family, who reside in the Battery Park area. This time last year, he was interning at an English newspaper, The Santiago Times, while studying abroad in Chile. He enjoyed the experience—and writing everyday—but he’s ready to be back in the city.

“You kind of want to be in New York for the summer,” Andrew said.

No matter the internship or job, Andrew sees writing as the most valuable tool. Even 10 years from now he still wants to write. And he knows his dream job, even if he thinks it’s out of reach.

“In 10 years, I’m going to be 31—senior arts writer, New York Times? No. It’s, like, a crapshoot. Honestly, I have no idea. I hope so. I hope I’m Jon Caramanica.”

Andrew puts his glasses back on his face as he stands to leave the café. Now, the tossing of his glasses seems a habit stemming from his piano playing and quick typing of stories on a laptop keyboard. He may not think he's surprising, but that's because he'd rather talk about the music and TV pilots that surprise him.

By Haley Goldberg, University of Michigan, Glamour

Edited by Jeffrey Nelson, Drake University, People

Cookies & Spinach? April's Not Foolin'

 Go to Staten Island 10 years in the past, and you might see an 11-year-old April Castillo, nose buried in A Wrinkle in Time, with a perpetual smile on her face. 

Or maybe she would be writing one of her four young adult novels and obsessing over “Fl!p,” a 

since-retired section of the Staten Island Advance.

She could likely be doing any of these things, but there is one thing Castillo at 11 would not be doing: running.

April Castillo was born three months premature, which resulted in many balance and motor skill issues and 14 years of physical therapy.

“I would fall off of chairs; I would fall down stairs,” Castillo said. “I couldn’t play sports or run with other kids.”

But once she got stronger and advanced through physical therapy, she improved. 

“I went to my local middle school,” she said. “My classroom was on the third floor. [When walking] with a big backpack, it was like strength-training boot camp for me.”

Her passion for health blossomed during these formidable years while she was healing.

“I was always obsessed with the idea of health,” Castillo said. “It was very idealized to me, to be completely healthy.”

After finishing physical therapy, Castillo played for her Staten Island high school’s varsity tennis and lacrosse teams and has run two half-marathons. Now interning at Woman’s Day, Castillo has a chance to educate other women about health and fitness.

“It’s like sitting down with a close friend that’s telling you all these cool new things,” she said. “With health and fitness, it’s more a lifestyle than something you pick up and read, at least for me.”

It seems as though Castillo embraced this lifestyle wholeheartedly. Miriam Ward lived with Castillo last year at SUNY New Paltz, where the two attend college.

“It would always make me feel terrible to exit my suite and see April coming back from a 5-mile run,” Ward said. “She’s always such a go-getter in everything.”

You might simply know April Castillo as the girl who enjoys both cookies and spinach, “but not simultaneously.” At least, that’s all you would know after reading the ASME directory.

“My mom made fun of me for that line,” Castillo said. “My personal philosophy is to be healthy, but not too healthy. Don’t take yourself too seriously and do what’s good for you mentally and physically.”

Although it seems that health and fitness are Castillo’s biggest passions, they’re just part of what has prepared her for this summer’s opportunity.

“My sophomore year, I was homeschooled and my parents and I traveled around and did some volunteer work,” Castillo said. “We lived in the Philippines for a month and worked with the Tropical Disease Foundation.”

While there, Castillo worked on a media kit, wrote bios of important members of the organization and copy-edited booklets translated from Tagalog, a local language.

After traveling to Thailand, Hong Kong, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Ireland and Scotland with her parents, Castillo is happy to be in New York City once again.

“Before this summer, I only came [to Manhattan] for day trips,” she said. “I feel like I belong here more than I ever belonged on Staten Island.”

With her best friend, boyfriend and family not too far away, Castillo seems content.

“I feel like I’m in good company,” Castillo said.  

By Sara Gentzler, Creighton University, Parents

Edited by Kelsey Mckinney, The University of Texas at Austin, Reader's Digest

Bienvenido Al Centro

One of the many things I love about New York is that you don't have to go far to find exquisite foreign food. The world is literally in your back yard, along with tasty eats and treats from all corners of the globe.

So when my cousin Erin invited me to dinner yesterday after work, and gave me the options of burgers (Italian or Mexican) I wasn't sure what I wanted. Well, I take that back. I knew I didn't want a burger; I try not to eat too much red meat and I've had about five burgers since I arrived in the city, which was about three weeks ago. No bueno.

Thus it was a tie between Italian and Mexican. Both cuisines are some of my favorites, so you can imagine my dilemma. However, Time Inc. did me a great service yesterday when they served lobster ravioli for lunch! Which was quite tasty. I added broccoli rabe and cherry tomatoes to mine with a mix of marinara and saffron sauce. Superb.

With my stomach full of Italian already, I knew the right thing to do was to choose Mexican. Erin informed me that she knew of an excellent place on the corner of 54th and ninth called El Centro.

If you've been searching for the tastiest Mexican spot here in the city, look no further! I've found it for you. I used to think my favorite Mexican place was Cafe Habana, somewhat close to SoHo, but El Centro takes the cake. Hands down! (Even though Cafe Habana still has the best corn I've ever tasted in my life).

El Centro is a cute little restaurant with outdoor and indoor seating. We decided to sit inside. It was pretty hot yesterday. Their decor is really funky and colorful. They have Corona bottles serving as chandeliers and interesting wall decorations. I can't quite describe what they are.

They give each table complimentary chips and salsa, and when I tell you this salsa is to die for... I'm not exaggerating. It's the perfect blend of tomatoes, spices and citrus. It's completely fresh. We ate every bite. Their margaritas are on my top 3 list too. I ordered a mango strawberry, and they blended the fruit and alcohol perfectly. Get it frozen! Margaritas always taste better frozen, especially on a hot summer evening after work.

For our main course we both ordered the trio de tacos. I highly suggest it if you're a fan of tacos. It's almost like a combination plate for tacos; you can choose three of whichever tacos they have. I chose the braised short rib, steak and shrimp tacos. Muy Delicioso!

 Each come with their own set of toppings. I usually am a boring Barbara when it comes to tacos: I get the usual cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. I highly suggest that you stick with the toppings that come on each taco. Unless, of course, you are allergic to something. I feel like the chef designed each taco to come with certain dressings, which bring out the extensive combination of flavors more.

So if you have some time for lunch, or are looking for an interesting place to go on a date or just want to hang out and have a good time with some friends in the city, make sure you stop by El Centro and check it out!

Written by Morgan Grain, Florida A&M University, InStyle Magazine
Edited by Andrea Baumgartner, University of Illinois, Good Housekeeping

Kristin Uncanned

Kristin poses with the other SELF interns

Kristin Canning knew exactly how she would react if she was offered her dream internship with ASME. She could see it all in her mind's eye: After opening the email and beginning to scream and cry, she would run to her roommates and yell, “Oh my God! I’m going to New York City!”

But when she finally did get that email, she completely froze. She refused to believe it was even true.

“So is this my rejection email?” she thought to herself, sitting in silence and staring at the screen. “Who is Sid? Is this a joke?”

After Googling Sid Holt—“He’s legit, maybe he knows what he’s talking about”—she quickly realized it was anything but a trick. She had landed a spot in the coveted ASME internship program. Her self-diagnosed Type-A personality kicked in: It was time to get some things in order. 

1.     Tell the other internships I’ve already accepted for the summer that I won’t be working for them.

2.     Figure out how I’m going to pay for two months of expenses in NYC.

3.     Break the news to my parents and friends—I’m going to the Big Apple!!

SELF was Kristin's first choice of magazine. As an avid runner, she fits the active, happy and healthy lifestyle that SELF advocates.

“I used to run around and make my sister time me,” she says, laughing. “That’s how we used to play.”

Her love of tag and racing boys at school led to running track and competing at state in high school. She was then recruited to run for Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, and has competed for the Knights at nationals. While at Wartburg, she found her calling in media.

Kristin writes for the Wartburg alumni magazine and works at the school’s marketing and communication department. She will also be the editor-in-chief of her school’s student newspaper, the Wartburg Trumpet, this fall. But Kristin still manages to have enough time to remember another love of hers—animals.

Equal parts “crazy cat lady in the making” and “hermit crab whisperer", Kristin comes from a home that nurses sick, stray kittens. Even though her three aging cats started to go senile and forget who she was, she appreciates them and the outside felines who populate her yard for free food. A once proud owner of a hermit crab in the fourth grade, Kristin was able to keep her crustacean alive for four and a half years, as compared to the usual six months.

When Kristin isn’t saving animals or obsessing over Stieg Larsson's Millenium series, she is working on overcoming her latest trial by fire: the New York City subway system. 

“There’s been no major debacles, no crying or freak-out phone calls,” she says. “But I got lost when I went to get the cronuts."

On a mission to get a box of the infamous croissant-donut crossovers for her coworkers, Kristin took a few wrong trains. She resolved to walk ten blocks instead of taking another subway to finally get back to work.

But the subway mishap led to a major work-related highlight: Lucy Danziger, SELF editor-in-chief, emailed her a personal thank-you, and offered her a free spot at a spinning class.

Now that she’s got the personal approval of the lady in charge, Kristin has her sights set on getting a blog byline with the magazine and figuring out her post-grad plans. Kristin isn’t exactly sure what her future has in store, but she knows it will involve the media industry.

And maybe working towards achieving that “crazy cat lady” status, after all.

By Kelli Fitzpatrick, Kent State University, Reader’s Digest

Edited by Stefan Malmsten, Ohio University, MONEY

Inside the Keebler Treehouse

Ever see the commercials for the Keebler cookies? With the little elf with gray hair and whiskers who bounces into the Keebler treehouse to make delicious fudge cookies with his equally tiny and bubbly colleagues? You don’t think about the Keebler treehouse when you’re devouring their baked snacks, but when you see the commercial it’s like an inside look into another world—a dream world—where scrumptious cookies are made in trees that magically don’t burn down from the cookie ovens. And it’s just like the offices of Condé Nast! Well, that’s how I described it to my sister after my first day of work at Glamour magazine.

Hey, it's OK... to get giddy when you see these doors!

The 16^th floor in the Condé Nast building is like an alternate world where I can see what I love being created. Stepping out of the elevators, GLAMOUR greets me in bold, hot pink letters, tucked away behind locked, glass doors. And I have the key for the next 10 weeks.

So far at Glamour, I’ve researched the meaning of a famous pop star’s tattoos, helped create a research binder for an upcoming feature interview, gathered quotes for a special edition of the magazine, discovered amazing women for the Top Ten College Women contest and delved into the archives of Glamour from 1939. But for me, it’s not just about what I’ve done so far. It’s about being there and soaking in the experience; it’s about what I’ve seen.

DO: Enjoy the view from the office!

I’ve seen the most dedicated individuals putting together my favorite magazine with as much happiness and confidence that is in the pages of Glamour itself. I’ve seen the actual Things We Love bulletin board, the excitement of the editors at crafting an awesome celebrity photo shoot and even the Instagram posts being created right next to my desk. I’ve seen that you can’t make a magazine without being passionate about what you put in the pages. And at Glamour, that work ethic is clear.

The greatest part? The people inside get to work there everyday! And I have the privilege and opportunity to join them—in the metaphorical treehouse perched above Times Square—this summer. Of course I’m exaggerating when I call magazine publishing giant Condé Nast the “Keebler elves treehouse”—obviously Anna Wintour is no elf, and, wearing their stilettos, the magazine editors couldn’t possibly fit in that tree trunk. But it’s the only way I can describe such an unreal and inspiring place. 

But after two weeks at Glamour, here’s the weirdest part: It’s starting to become normal. I feel comfortable sitting down at my desk with my purple pen (Pilot Acroball, writes like a dream) and pink Moleskine notebook, ready to jot down the day’s tasks as the Times Square billboards flash beyond the windows. And I'm hoping that this will become a routine again in the future. But for now, I'm holding on to the excitement of entering the treehouse each day.

By Haley Goldberg, University of Michigan, Glamour

Edited by Carlos Anchondo, Trinity University, Sports Illustrated

Around the World in an Eight-Hour Day

During my first week in the office of Smithsonian magazine, I left my makeshift office in the corner of the layout room and traipsed over to the digital side to talk to Beth, the magazine's digital editor. We were brainstorming ideas for stories related to the upcoming 10-day Folklife Festival on the Mall. We discussed finding a chef who could give us a recipe for hogs pudding for a story about Hungarian heritage, one of this year's themes. However, we came up short with ideas for a story about another one of our themes, language preservation.

We watched a video about an old Welsh professor and historian who talked about the importance of language in shaping cultures. Disgusted with the idea that one language for the entire world would make it a better place, he said in his rumbly accented voice, "We are just as stupid in one language as we are in many."

Beth and I burst out laughing, and she said, "You have to interview him."

It's one of my first writing assignments, and I couldn't be more excited about it. I've only been at Smithsonian for one week, and I already feel as if it's taken me all over the world. Most would think my first writing assignment, creating photo captions, would be dull. But I couldn't disagree more when you're writing photo captions for London sights in the travel section.

When I'm researching an event in the United States, like the Battle of Atlanta in the Civil War, I feel transported to another place. I can't possibly live in the same country where cannon fire once rent the air and countless lives were lost over the issue of slavery, can I? It seems as foreign to me as Hungarian hogs pudding.

In one week I've created a list of new travel destinations (I can dream, right?) and have developed a greater curiosity for history and science. Both were subjects that once elicited yawns and blank stares from me. In a city filled with historical monuments, memorials, and museums -- and a city I had never seen until last week -- I can already tell the discoveries won't be limited to the office. I can't wait to see what experiences lay ahead. Will they be as rich as hogs pudding? I can only hope.

By Colleen Connolly, DePaul University, Smithsonian
Edited by Morgan Grain, Florida A&M University, InStyle
   

I had no idea these things would happen at my internship

When I walk into the Reader’s Digest office every morning, I'm always excited to find out what surprising things lie in store for me that day.  As I exit the elevator onto the third floor, the smell of freshly brewed Starbucks coffee greets me. My first perk of the day: an unlimited supply of free coffee, tea and even hot chocolate in the employee kitchen. Yum.

After a hit of caffeine, I make my way towards my desk, passing two long filing cabinets. On these filing cabinets lie dozens of books: memoirs, graphic novels, paperbacks and spiral-bound manuscripts. These works of literature rotate through the office regularly. Both new and established authors send in their books in hopes of having them highlighted in the RD review. Once the editors have picked their favorites, the runner-ups end up on these shelves, free for the taking. Offering free books at my workplace is the equivalent of giving candy to a hyperactive 5-year-old: there is no resisting.

Once I’m finished browsing the shelves (with a paperback or two in hand), I place my cup of steaming tea at my desk. I share a long desk with the three other interns, but individual areas are marked by our own supersize Mac desktops and nameplates: Kelli Fitzpatrick, cubicle 3N-202. I even have my own landline—how funny is that! A phone with a cord!

I log onto my computer and see that my first slideshow, which I had researched and written a few days prior, has appeared on the Reader’s Digest homepage. My first piece is about superheroes behaving badly. If you’ve never spotted Spider-Man moonlighting as a criminal, you should check it out.

Exuberant about my byline, I quickly tweet the link to my small group of followers. I’ve never been much of a Twitter girl, but I know it’s essential in today’s media world. Within seconds, I see that @LizVacc has tweeted me: “You’re killin it girl. Love.” Oh. My God. That’s the editor-in-chief of RD. Liz Vaccariello. I already thought it was amazing that she was following me, and now she's praising me on Twitter? It’s a pleasure to work for an editor who is as genuine and down-to-earth as Liz.

What a whirlwind of a day, and it’s barely 10 a.m. I finally open my inbox and read the first email from research manager Fran. “Shrimp & chorizo jambalaya on Monday,” he declares. “I'm assuming everyone can eat a tabasco chili pepper or two.” And with that, I know I’ve definitely landed the dream internship.

By Kelli Fitzpatrick, Kent State University, Reader's Digest

Edited by Caroline Hatano, Boston University, Food & Wine