Ten Iowa State undergraduate students have been selected to participate in the Meredith Apprentice Program for the 2017-18 school year.
"Once again, we received applications from some of Iowa State’s most hard-working, talented students. I continue to be amazed at the class loads, leadership positions and extracurricular opportunities these students invest in while they still maintain superior grade points. I am humbled, as always, by the extraordinary vitality of our incoming group," said Deb Gibson, senior lecturer and the Greenlee School’s Meredith Professional-in-Residence.
This year’s students were selected by Gibson, with input from the 2016-17 apprentices and Maria Charbonneaux, Greenlee communications specialist and 2005-06 Meredith Apprentice Program alumna.
Now entering its 14th year, the Greenlee School’s partnership with Meredith Corporation places Iowa State students in editorial, digital and graphic design apprenticeships with several of Meredith’s media brands and departments, including Better Homes and Gardens, Successful Farming and AllRecipes. The media and marketing company is headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, and has connections with over 100 million women, including 72 percent of all millennials.
The paid apprenticeships offer real-world work experience and can be used for Greenlee students’ JL MC 499 credit. Gibson emphasizes the program provides an amazing opportunity for students who are interested in magazine or digital media careers to work with professionals in the field. Meredith’s cornerstone is knowledge of the home, family, food and lifestyle markets.
"First, our students are immersed in the work world of one of the top media companies in the nation – without having to relocate to New York. Second, their responsibilities often are those of a first-year professional – this experience is not about making coffee runs or picking up dry cleaning. By the end of their apprenticeships, the students’ portfolios boast work samples that make potential employers take special notice," Gibson said.
Editorial apprentices will write front-of-book department stories, sidebars and feature-length stories; research story ideas and products; fact-check; copy edit; and assist with photo shoots, among many other tasks. Digital apprentices will create original content for digital magazine issues and websites; write and edit video scripts; write e-newsletter copy; create online slideshows; produce social media posts; and develop SEO content. Graphic design apprentices will design and produce layouts for print front-of-book and feature well stories, as well as in-house ads; create illustrations; assist with production files; attend and assist with photo shoots; edit photos; assist with editorial PowerPoint presentations; develop and design email blasts; and create graphics for website and social media platforms.
Meet the 2017-18 Meredith Apprentices from Iowa State:
Editorial/Digital
1) Emily Benda, Traditional Home:
Emily Benda, a Cedar Falls native, already has served three internships prior to her Meredith appointment. She worked as the media intern for Mudd Advertising agency in Cedar Falls, as a PR intern for the Minnesota Vikings and as a communications intern for ISU’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. She also has worked as the social media manager for Lockard Realty in Cedar Falls and for the Iowa State Daily as its arts and entertainment reporter. Emily has written feature articles for ISU’s Happy Strong Healthy magazine and freelances as a magazine writer for ISU’s College of Business. She served as vice president of communications for her sorority, Pi Beta Phi, and worked as a communications consultant for ISU’s Writing and Media Center. She co-chaired the campus involvement committee for ISU Homecoming 2015, has served as an ISU Career Fair ambassador and is a reading mentor for an Ames elementary school. This semester, Emily is studying in Spain, and she will be an ISU senior in the fall. She carries a double major in journalism and Spanish.
2) Jessica Bennett, Special Interest Media Home & Design:
Jessica Bennett, who grew up in Davenport, will be a senior with a double major in journalism and French. She works as a reporter and writer for the ISU Greenlee School communications team, creates content for Attis Fitness and writes and copy edits for Happy Strong Healthy magazine. Jessica also has worked as a writer for Ethos magazine and The Odyssey Online. She has studied in France and is a member of the ISU Honors Program. She has been active in her sorority, Alpha Phi, as vice president of risk management and director of formal recruitment.
3) Hannah Eble, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing:
Hannah Eble will be a senior at Iowa State next fall with a double major in communication studies and public relations. Last summer she interned with Illume Public Relations in Santa Monica, California, where she assisted in managing social media accounts for the firm’s clients. She also has managed social media for SIR, an ISU campus magazine. She has served as PR chair for ISU’s WishMakers on Campus program and has been a member of ISU’s PRSSA chapter. She is active in the Chi Omega sorority and belongs to Rho Lambda, which recognizes the top 10 percent of leaders within the Greek community. Heather is a native of Mokena, Illinois.
4) Jenna Hrdlicka, Allrecipes:
Jenna Hrdlicka joins the 2017-18 ISU Meredith team with a double major in journalism and business management. The Decorah native has served as a news editor, reporter and Web show co-host for the Iowa State Daily. She also has written and edited for Ethos, an ISU campus magazine, and while studying abroad at Lorenzo de Medici in Florence, Italy, Jenna wrote and edited a style-oriented student magazine there. She will graduate in May 2018.
5) Keaton Lane, Midwest Living:
Keaton Lane comes to Iowa State from Elkader, and will be a junior next fall majoring in journalism and performing arts. He is a reporter for the Iowa State Daily and a frequent actor in ISU Theatre performances. Keaton works on campus as a music librarian for the ISU choral music program and is a member of ISU’s Mortar Board Society. He has served as a youth program assistant for the Clayton County Extension Office and worked as an on-air reporter for KCTN-KADR radio station in Elkader.
6) Abby Patterson, BHG.com – Gardening:
Abby Patterson will be a senior next fall with a major in journalism and minors in English and speech communication. The Hudson, Wisconsin, native works as fashion editor for Trend, ISU’s fashion magazine, and is the progress reporter and Self/Style reporter for the Iowa State Daily. She also has written for Happy Strong Healthy magazine and for The Odyssey Online website, and currently is a guest blogger for Portabello Road, an Ames fashion and decor boutique. Abby is an active member of the Pi Phi sorority and she works as an ISU tutor in English and psychology.
7) Emma Wilson, Successful Farming:
Emma Wilson hails from Hillcrest Farms in rural Guthrie Center, and will be a senior next fall with a double major in journalism and agricultural education and life sciences–communications option. Currently, Emma is a communications intern for the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers in West Des Moines, as well as a watershed education assistant intern for Prairie Rivers of Iowa. Last summer she served as a communications and water quality intern for the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship in Des Moines. She recently served as chair of the Block and Bridle national convention, and has served on many ISU Block and Bridle committees. She has worked as PR co-chair for the ISU Bacon Expo and is PR co-chair for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) Council. Emma also is a member of Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow.
Graphic Design
1) Bailey Gella, Allrecipes/Diabetic Living:
Bailey Gella, a native of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, will be a senior graphic design major this fall. Last summer, she interned at Mackey Creative in suburban Minneapolis, where one of her creative pitches was picked up by Crystal Farms. She also has worked on the design team for Revival, an ISU student magazine. Bailey is an active member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, where she serves on the executive board, has chaired several committees and manages the chapter’s social media accounts.
2) Ryan Rasmussen, WOOD:
Ryan Rasmussen grew up in West Des Moines and will be a senior majoring in graphic design with minors in advertising and critical design studies. He has worked for three years as a designer of Trend magazine, serving as its creative director this past fall. He also now works as a designer for Revival magazine, as well as a marketing and design intern for ISU’s LGBTQ Student Services. He has designed logos and website icons for ISU’s Geospatial Laboratory for Soil Informatics and worked for two years as a photo retoucher for Lifetouch Photography.
3) Ashton Temple, Crafts Group:
Ashton Temple comes to Iowa State from Baldwin City, Kansas, and will be a senior this fall in graphic design. She has worked as a designer for Happy Strong Healthy magazine, and owns and operates Sweet Pea Photography. She has worked as a freelance designer for Sassy ‘N Silver Boutique in Kansas and has been a student supervisor for ISU Dining Services for three years. Ashton is a peer mentor for ISU’s College of Design, and serves on the PR and advertising committee for her sorority, Alpha Chi Omega.