Rocking Internship: Rebecca Bauman goes to Esquire

Most learning takes places outside of the classroom.  Any teacher will tell you that. Recently, PSU Creative Writing major, Rebecca Bauman did that learning in a wonderful place: Esquire Magazine.

“I decided to apply for a summer internship there and put together a packet of my newspaper clips and design samples, as well as my résumé and a cover letter,” said Bauman, “It was a real shot in the dark because Esquire doesn't even advertise that they hire interns.”

Bauman competed for one of only three spaces.  Most of the other applicants were from Ivy League schools.

“David Walters, my boss (an assistant editor), told me later that he had never heard of PSU, but he liked my writing samples.  It felt good to nab a spot like that on merit alone.”

Bauman’s job consisted mainly of interviewing experts in technical areas such as psychology, sociology, animal behavior, veterinary sciences, plastic surgery, and neurobiology.  She also did fact checking with people like Benicio Del Toro, Oscar de la Renta, Leslie Nielsen, and the cast of Battlestar Galactica.

There was also opportunity for activities that were less work and more fun.

“I went to film screenings.  I gathered live sheep for a promotional event in Times Square. I played on the Esquire softball team—we beat the crap out of Vanity Fair.”

Though Bauman enjoyed her experience, she doesn’t believe that she necessarily wants to work in a similar environment.

“No one ever talked, no one batted around ideas.  They were plugged into their computers.  Someone could be three feet away from you, but he’d email instead of tap on your shoulder.”

This experience added to Bauman’s education.

“I came back to Pittsburg realizing that the work wasn't the only thing—I had to have a sense of belonging, a sense of home. Maybe it’s a blessing to realize early on that it's not what I want.  Still, now I’m faced with this problem of finding a new dream.  Where do I go from here?  What now?”

As a sophomore, she still has time to figure this out.