By Cheyenne Johnson, Contributing writer
College is not just for the future, it’s for now. Students do not need to wait until they graduate to get involved in a company or in the field that they are majoring.
Senior Sal DiBenedetto decided to take his own route and get involved in something he really wants to pursue in the future; The Source Magazine.
“My affiliation with The Source began back in January,” DiBenedetto said. “I was given the position of Campus Representative, then they found out I was coming back to New York in May of last year and asked me to come in for an interview. I was hired as a marketing intern.”
The Source Magazine office is Located in Time Square. It was founded in 1988 making it the longest running Hip Hop publication in the United States. It is currently owned by Attorney Londell McMillan who has been an entertainment attorney for artist such as Michael Jackson and Lil Kim.
Kim Osorio is the editor in chief of The Source Magazine. Osorio started this position in 2003 and became the first female editor in chief in the history of the publication. The Source has been cited as “The Hip Hop Bible.” The job of this company is to report the ongoing trends and changes in Hip Hop culture, which includes music, urban culture, and sometimes even politics.
“I realized that this could be a great opportunity to advance myself in writing, which is my biggest passion,” Said DiBenedetto. “I submitted two articles to Osorio who was intrigued with my writing. I went from marketing intern to editorial intern.”
Just as Saint Leo University does, The Source has an online version of their articles. TheSource.com is the place to look when you don’t have a magazine around.
“I did an editorial on a tribute to Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys, I had two highly talked about headlining articles for their digital publication,” Said DiBenedetto. “Social Media’s Effect on the Hip Hop Game as well as Artist vs. Entertainer: The Growing Divide. I got to meet J. Cole briefly. I went to the Meek Mill photo shoot for our August/September issue. I also got to interview Far East Movement when they came to Saint Leo and turned it into an editorial on the importance of voting which also headlined on the digital publication.”
DiBenedetto goes on to say “My biggest accomplishment for the Source has to be getting published in the print magazine. I had given an article to Osorio on Frank Ocean’s revelation of his sexuality and what it means for hip hop, she loved it so much that it was a featured front page article in the Meek Mill edition. I also wrote some of the descriptions for the Power 30 edition which will be in stores on October 9, 2012. This is a highly anticipated edition in the hip hop world.”
Students at Saint Leo should realize that doing what they have always wanted to do doesn’t start after their graduation date; it starts now. Students can do just as DiBenedetto did, work their way up to something that they really hope to achieve. All it takes is a little effort from themselves. If Saint Leo’s student body put in just a little bit of effort, big opportunities could arise.
