Meet The Awl 2013 Interns
Each year, young people come and do some things here! And each year, we worry that they will sue us. But no: they will not. The intern’s job isn’t fetching coffee or proof-reading; they’re here to write about stuff and have a good time. (And yes, lawyers and judges, they set their own hours, do no office work or work that would otherwise be created by employees: they come and go as they wish, and are in charge of their destinies.) They’re just now getting into the swing of things and filing stories, so we figured we should be courteous and let you know who they are. So far, I can tell you that they’re all delightful and hilarious. You will be working for them someday soon. And, if I’m nice this summer, so will I, so, booyah. This year’s weird coincidence: two Yales, two Kenyons! What are the odds? (Actually the odds are pretty good.) In alphabetical order, the Awl Summer Reporter 2013 team! If you see them out and about, say hi.
Resita Cox is a sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is studying Journalism with a concentration in electronic communication, and a double major in Political Science. She has written for The Daily Tar Heel on campus and currently writes for Natura Magazine, a hair and health magazine. She was named North Carolina’s 2012 Journalist of the Year during her senior year in high school and was editor of her high school newspaper. She spends her free time writing poetry, blogging, stalking music blogs and famous people, and trying to be a sane writer (although we all know that is not possible). She is 30% words and poetry, 20% overly sweetened coffee, 10% fortune cookies and 40% hip-hop and all things music. She loves to chat; in fact, it is one of her favorite things to do so feel free to email her your comments, thoughts or suggestions at rhcox [AT] live.unc.edu. You can also visit her blog.
Becca Hafter attends Kenyon College where she keeps a Google doc of party themes with her roommates. She’s pulling for a “mystic spa/enchanted lagoon” party in the fall. Sometimes she writes highly conceptual news stories for the Kenyon Thrill, which she also edits.
Sarah Jampel didn’t ask to be born and raised in Baltimore, but so she was. Now, she’s getting her BA in the even less nice city of New Haven. At Yale, she’s on a mission to find out the precise combination of fluorescent lighting, lack of sleep, and hypothermia from chilled library air that will lead to a perfectly pasty complexion. This is her first summer in New York, where she is also an intern at Food52. So far, she’s seen 3 roaches (2 alive, 1 dead) and 4 rats this summer.
Carmen Johns is a rising senior at Oberlin College where she majors in French and teaches ceramics.
Brendan O’Connor graduated from Kenyon College in 2012 with a degree in English and a sense of purpose. Great with children and grandmothers, he enjoys cocktail parties and stirring up trouble. He knows the drunk tweeting is a problem and promises to work on it.
Hadiya Shire is out to demolish the Midwestern ideal, but don’t count this Minnesota girl an expatriate; she’s merely on loan indefinitely to our abundantly fertilized “Big Apple.” As a senior at Vassar and editor of its Art and Style magazine Contrast, Hadiya explores her interests in English Literature, Art History and Media Studies. She is currently learning the Arabic language and perpetually reevaluating the status of her ever-evolving cultural identity. Her hobbies include contemplating the practices of comedic geniuses, and the likes of those who may follow in their footsteps — all the while hunting for the cheapest pack of American Spirits.
John Stillman has appointed himself Editor of the Dept. of The Forgotten Borough. He is a senior-to-be at Yale, where he is an editor at the Yale Herald. He also runs the Bullblog, your home for breaking news like “Chipotle Coming to New Haven” and “Owl Spotted Outside Lecture Hall.” He’s living in Brooklyn and working on Staten Island this summer, and would love your company on the 80-minute walk-train-bus-walk one of these mornings. Alternatively, you can follow him on Tumblr and find him on Instagram @straitflexn.