Feeling the “Vibe” with Suinely Hernandez '11

Posted: March 3, 2009

As an op-ed editor for the Mount Holyoke News, Suinely Hernandez '11 is already accustomed to the world of deadlines, copyediting, and fact checking. But at the Manhattan office of Vibe magazine, an urban music and culture magazine with a circulation of more than 800,000, Hernandez was immersed in the world of publishing, communications, and mass media as a marketing and advertising intern.

"This was definitely not an internship in which one sits around, delivers mail, and gets coffee. The employees of Vibe took the interns in as coworkers," said Hernandez, a Brooklyn, New York, native, and a psychology major with a self-designed minor in journalism.

Her job as an intern included finding a nonprofit organization for Vibe to support. After doing research, she presented to staff a nonprofit called The Point, an organization dedicated to youth development and the cultural and economic revitalization of the Hunts Point section of the South Bronx. In September, Vibe held a charity auction and donated proceeds to The Point.

While working in the marketing department had both its perks and challenges, Hernandez took full advantage of the magazine's "intern switch day" to return to writing with the online editing department. An article she wrote is now featured on Vibe’s Web site (see below).

The staff at Vibe also gave the interns a chance to showcase what they'd learned by creating a similar magazine of their own. Everyone had their own task and, as marketing director of the project, Hernandez was in charge of a launch party for the magazine. She had to "form a budget, get the DJ, get actual artists to attend, and make sure invitations were given out to the employees of Vibe."

And although taking on such responsibilities was not easy, Hernandez said, "Being a Mount Holyoke woman definitely gave me more confidence and reassurance of my ability to do well at any internship, including this one. I learned that I have to work hard no matter what."