ViCTORiA MESSiNA
So, I kind of have a thing for writing...
Below are some of my favorite writing samples to date. My stories have been published both online and in print. As you can see in these stories, I have written about a broad range of topics, from fashion and personal style to local businesses and community redevelopment efforts. I put my heart and soul into my work, which I believe is evident in these published products.
Have a personal favorite? Let me know!
1.) Orange & Blue Magazine
During my last semester at the University of Florida, I was enrolled in an upper-level journalism course called Applied Magazines. This class gave me a hands-on look at the inner workings of the magazine industry by allowing me and 11 classmates to produce a 68-page print magazine, dubbed Orange & Blue, in just three and a half months. As a Copy Editor, I read, edited and fact checked all articles before going to print to ensure proper spelling, grammar and flow,
I contributed two in-depth articles to the magazine, and also directed the photo shoot for the publication's six-page fashion spread (which was a total dream come true!). Feel free to check out the web version of the magazine below.
2.) 20some.com
20something is a digital media hub that caters to young adults. As a freelance writer, I pitch my content ideas to editors of the Fashion and Life sections of the website. Writing for 20some.com has honed my ability to target my writing at a niche part of society—millennials. It's been really fun to write for a fresh startup website like 20something and to see it grow and develop over time, along with my writing skills. You can check out all of my articles to date here, but below are a few of my favorites.
3.) CollegeFashionista.com
CollegeFashionista is a website that highlights fashion trends on college campuses. As a writer, it was my job to find stylish students on campus to photograph and write about each week. I began writing for the Fashion From Abroad section during the summer of 2014 when I studied abroad in Valencia, Spain. Documenting fashion trends in different countries that summer was a dream come true, and I learned a lot about the nature of fashion trends while doing so. Here you can check out all of my articles to date, but below are a few of my favorites.
4.) SheKnows Media
During the summer of 2015, I spent my summer interning in the New York City office of She Knows Media. Besides the fact that living in Manhattan was a dream come true, I learned a lot about the digital media industry as an editorial intern. I sat in on editorial meetings, assisted with social media management, took editorial assignments from editors and even pitched a few of my own original ideas. Feel free to check out all of my published work on the website here, or read a few of my favorites below.
5.) Nomadic Noles Newsletter
During the summer of 2014, I had the pleasure of studying abroad in Valencia, Spain, with Florida State University's Editing, Writing and Media program. The classes I was enrolled in while abroad were taught by English professors from FSU, and the final product of my courses was a newsletter with stories written by each student in the class. I was assigned the leading story of the newsletter, a feature on the past, present and future of the Study Center's buildings. I took the photo used for the cover of the newsletter and designed the page layout for my feature. The entire final product can be seen at the link below, but you can specifically check out my contributions on pages 4,5 and 36.
6.) WUFT News
WUFT News is a broadcasting/media production station on the University of Florida campus. As part of my upper-level editing class, I spent a semester producing web-based news stories bout happenings in the North Central Florida area. Below are the stories I wrote throughout the course of the semester.
For a separate magazine writing class, I spent most of the semester conducting interviews for the following story, which was also published on WUFT. It's a profile on a female skateboarder, and enjoyed getting to know her and developing my passion for the sport.
7.) Fringe and Free Spirits Blog
I began my own personal style blog, Fringe and Free Spirits, to document my thoughts on fashion and share my views with the Wordpress blogosphere. From ''Outfit of the Day'' posts to details on how to rock a certain trend, I seek to include an array of blog posts that others find helpful and inspiring. You can check out the blog at fringeandfreespirits.wordpress.com, but below are a few of my favorite posts to date.
8.) HerCampus.com
Her Campus is the #1 online community for college women. I joined UF's chapter of Her Campus during my freshman year as a writer and worked my way up to lead the entire team as Campus Correspondent, or Editor-in-Chief. You can see every article I've written for the website here, but below are a few of my favorites.
9.) The Independent Florida Alligator Newspaper
The Independent Florida Alligator is one of the largest student-run newspapers in the nation. Published every weekday and solely operated by University of Florida students, it has a daily circulation of 35,000 and readership of more than 52,000 people. During the spring semester of my sophomore year, I took a journalism class called reporting in which I had to report on and write a hard news story every week. Below are the two stories I submitted to the newspaper for publication.