Meet the Editorial Intern: Beck Liberatore
Hello! My name is Beck Liberatore (they/them) and I have been the Spring 2021 Editorial Intern for Young Scholars in Writing since February. I am writing this article to give a bit of insight into what it’s like to be an intern for the journal, and hopefully encourage some undergraduate students to apply for the position for the Fall 2021 Semester.
I became involved with YSW because my senior research class was cancelled due to low enrollment. Students who needed to take the required course were suggested to take either one of a few possible courses or an internship. The editors of YSW had been talking about the journal both in and out of classes, so I had heard the name quite a few times. When I got an email that they were looking for an intern, I rushed to update my resume and apply. A few days later, I received the news that I was selected to be the intern! I was so excited to work with the lovely team of people that I already knew from my previous years at York College of Pennsylvania.
As the Editorial Intern, my responsibilities included creating and posting images and captions on social media accounts, attending weekly meetings, interviewing student researchers and Faculty Advisory Editors, reading through the current volume of YSW, and writing, editing, and publishing blog posts for our website. I had a lot of fun working with others over email and Zoom during the past few months, as I was working remotely. Meeting with the editorial team every week helped me plan my workload and check in about current projects, and also allowed for a bit of socialization (which was greatly appreciated!)
One of my main responsibilities as the Editorial Intern is making posts on Instagram and Facebook. I created posts that aimed to spotlight the amazing individuals who were involved with the most recent volume, such as undergraduate student researchers and their Faculty Advisory Editors. I also made a few posts to remind followers about important upcoming dates, such as the day that Volume 18 went live on the website and the submission deadline for Volume 19.
I have enjoyed working with Drs. Cutrufello, Cope, and Peck over the past few months to promote the most recent volume of the journal and create more engagement on its social media accounts. We clearly saw the results of my efforts when we created a poster for the Student Research Showcase on April 19th. The Instagram and Facebook engagement had increased significantly over the course of just two and a half months, and posts were receiving more shares, comments, and likes than ever before. It was rewarding to see the numerical results, but what really surprised me was the large amount of positive comments I received from my peers, professors, and the Editors themselves. It made me feel proud of my hard work to hear what they had to say.
One of the challenges I faced during my time as the editorial intern for YSW was learning how to use the OSJ website software. I had some previous experience editing and posting on an existing website from a class I took last semester, Publications Management with Dr. Travis Kurowski. However, I experienced a few hiccups when first learning to use the interface and blog/announcement system. However, I got familiar with the website fairly quickly, and now I feel confident using the system.
Overall, I would highly recommend working as an editorial intern for Young Scholars in Writing. I have learned a lot and gained valuable experience from this internship, which I am sure will help me post-graduation in the working world. Now I just have to make it through the next two weeks and my graduation ceremony!
Blog post by: Beck Liberatore, YSW Intern and senior at York College of PA, expected to graduate in May 2021. Liberatore has a major in Professional Writing and a minor in Women's and Gender Studies.
