Hello everyone! My name is Ali and I’m the newest intern here at NextStepU.
I’m currently a junior at Nazareth College in Rochester, N.Y. where I major in Communications and Rhetoric and minor in English Lit. With interests like that it’s not too hard to imagine that I really love writing which makes me very excited to be working with the team here at NextStepU.
I’m the editor of our college newspaper, The Gleaner, and a member of Naz’s newly formed Feminist Club, which focuses on empowering women and girls of all ages. College has been an exciting and confusing time for me, and as I start to think about what I want to do after graduation, I’m not going to pretend that I have any idea of what I want to do with my life.
Wait, that sounds scary. I know that I love to write, that I love to help and work with people, and that I love making others laugh. Ideally, I’d like to be the head writer on SNL working alongside comedians and writers. Realistically, I’d be happy doing anything involving writing or books — whether it’s journalism, publishing or becoming an author.
As a junior in college, I feel like it’s all right to not have plans set in stone.
Now that you know about my dreams as aspirations (don’t worry — I would have told you this upon our first meeting anyways), here’s5 things you might want to know about me.
1. I’m nocturnal. Seriously, the amount of productivity I have at night is unreal. Some of my late night hobbies include baking, rearranging the furniture in my apartment, crafts, trying new hairstyles and cleaning my closet.
2. At age 20, I still have not learned how to ride a bike. Many have tried and none have succeeded to teach me. I have trust issues (just kidding). I have really poor eyesight, coordination and balance. All of that equals potential injury. Also, I have my own car so any arguments you might have are invalid.
3. My music taste is diverse and awesome. When I work out I enjoy Eminem and 80’s aerobic pop. When I study, I prefer my personalized a cappella playlist carefully crafted on Spotify, and I take the occasional break to watch an inspirational commencement speech on YouTube (watching Amy Poehler’s will change your life).
4. I’m proud that I watched all nine seasons of The X-Files plus the two movies in roughly eight months. It’s no longer unique for my generation to say that they can marathon a whole series on Netflix in a short span of time. However, I don’t care.
5. I draw inspiration from books, especially humorous ones. Some of my favorites include Tina Fey’s “Bossypants”, anything by Nora Ephron, Ali Wentworth’s “Ali in Wonderland” and Mindy Kaling’s “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (And Other Concerns).” As for the latter, I’ll make my next fact one of Mindy Kaling’s chapters, “I Forget Nothing: A Sensitive Kid Looks Back” because this rings especially true for me. Ask anyone — I can recall everything, even the things everyone around me, including myself, would rather forget. My sensitivity as a child now makes me an asset and curse to people’s lives and will probably contribute to my writing.
Lastly, I want you to know that I’m here to help you gain insight into college life. I can help you make decisions about your future and learn other important life lessons. I can’t wait to share with you all I’ve learned and continue to learn and I hope it helps make your transition a little bit easier.
Ali Sewalt is the editorial intern for NextStepU and is a junior at Nazareth College. You can reach her with questions and for advice at Alison@nextstepu.com.
