Meet the Officers: Courtney Lindstrand

CAFME's full of some pretty amazing people, and we want you to get to know them. This week? Meet Courtney Lindstrand, CAFME's 2012-2013 vice president!

Tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m a junior Journalism- Editing and Graphic Design major with a minor in Anthropology. I’m from Greenville, NC and in my spare time you will likely find me browsing fashion blogs or attempting to do crafts.

How did you get involved in CAFME?
I distinctly remember walking (more like stumbling) through Fall Fest my freshman year when I saw a bright pink poster that said, “Do you want to work HERE?” surrounded by covers of Seventeen and Vogue. In my head I mentally answered, “Yes. Yes, I do.” So I signed up for the listserv, went to the first meeting and just kept coming back! 

What do you do on CAFME?
I am the vice president of CAFME this year. My goal is to help the co-presidents in any way I can, whether that be by organizing speakers or special events or helping to plan for the future of the club. I also try to make sure meetings go as smoothly as possible, even when technology poses a bit of a challenge! 

What do you like the most about the club?
I love how passionate everyone is about what they do. I always leave CAFME meetings feeling inspired and reenergized after listening to a great speaker or talking to another member about their big plans for the future.

What is your goal for the club this year?
I really hope to be able to present members with events, meetings and resources that are really going to help them achieve their ultimate goals. Whether that’s getting some great tips on how to improve their resume or learning the best way to reach out to editors, I want CAFME to be a go-to career resource. CAFME’s meetings and members helped me tremendously throughout the past two years in teaching me all about the magazine industry and I would love to share all of the things I’ve learned with our new members. 

What else are you involved with?
This year, I’m the Associate Editor of Blue & White magazine, a designer for Scope magazine, a writer for Her Campus UNC and in the spring I help coordinate COUTURevolution, UNC’s sustainable fashion show.

Tell us about your magazine experience.
After my freshman year, I had an internship at my hometown newspaper, The Daily Reflector. During my sophomore year, I was a campus ambassador for Lucky magazine, which is owned by Conde Nast. Being a campus ambassador was an awesome learning experience and a whirlwind crash course in magazine marketing and sales. It also allowed me to make some very helpful networking connections; those connections led me to my internship at Teen Vogue this past summer, which was absolutely amazing. I couldn’t have asked for more from my time there. I am so grateful for all of the experiences I have had. Each one taught me something new and provided me with an invaluable set of skills that I will use throughout the rest of my career. 

What tips would you offer to others trying to follow in your footsteps?
I have two cheesy, cliché quotes that I kind of use as mantras in my life. The first is “You’ll always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” I remember applying to summer internships in New York thinking that it was a long shot. However, through hard work and persistence, I was able to make things that seemed so far out of my reach actually attainable. Even if something seems out of your league, give it your best shot anyway. You never know what someone will see in you. 

That leads me to my second mantra, “Always give 110%.” In whatever you do, whether it’s writing for a campus publication or working as an intern, always give your best and then some. People always take note of a job well done and your hard work will come back to reward you later on.

What would you like to do after you graduate?
After graduation, I plan to move to New York to obtain an editorial or web position at a major women’s magazine. This has been my dream since I was 10 years old and it has been quite the journey so far!

What is your one Carolina must-do?
This is pretty general but just enjoy being a college student! Sometimes it’s easy to get stressed out and wrapped up in all of your coursework and extracurriculars but I think it’s so important to take time to have fun with your friends. After college, it will be pretty hard to find experiences like riding the P2P or going crazy in the Dean Dome after beating Duke!