As we walked through the doors of Meredith, I could see a young professional through the glass, smiling with excitement. There was no looking back as I saw the neatly placed magazines containing bright colors, which were popping against the historical wood work, I felt this feeling of anticipation. Looking around in awe, I couldn’t help but notice the amount of diversity in jobs that were available. As we toured around, we were able to observe the graphic artists in the studio, in which they were taking photos and editing pictures or layouts. This company continued to amaze me by containing various test kitchens, a filming and presenting area, a woodworking area, a crafting space, as well as the marketing and advertising part. Since this company started with only a farm magazine, I was truly moved by the amount of growth this company had made since then. It was more than obvious that our culture was a huge part of who Meredith is as a company, and it is honestly inspirational. At that very moment, I knew that I wanted to work in a place like this – a big company with a potential to grow. This ability to work with magazines, getting to participate in multiple jobs and creating something that is entertaining for the public, is truly something that I am eager for.

After the tour, I got in touch with one of Meredith’s employees, Amy Gates, and shared my interest in a job shadow. A few weeks later, I walked through those same glass doors again, with a young professional in the reflection…but this time, she was smiling ear to ear. Gates then greeted me as she would her best co-worker. After that we hit it off. First she explained her job as the advertising and marketing manager of the Quilting magazines. We discussed the specific skills that I’d need for the job, tips on my personal branding, and gave me insight on the world of business. As I visited their remarkable crafting room, I sat in on a filming-tutorial session. I then was privileged to see their meeting room, where they pin up their deadlines and ideas for magazine pages on a big collaborative board. Walking around the business, I visited with a professional who is a project manager and also does sales. She gave me insight on the company and their specific roles. She shared she majored in Graphic Design at Iowa State University, the exact field and college that I’m going into. In retrospect, this was probably the best thing that’s happened to me in my APEX experience in Waukee. I was able to see first hand how the business world operated. In addition, I learned a lot about myself and what I’m passionate about. As of now, my future goals are to become a marketing manager of an artistic company like a magazine, architecture, music entertainment, or some similar business.

I am so grateful to have a program here in Waukee, where we can strive and make goals towards what it is exactly that we want. This experience allows my classmates and I to dream big, and learn not from a textbook, but from real world experiences.