Elle Magazine Offers Internship To Homeless Girl

By Matt

Not just a random homeless girl either but one of our very own, Bri, today heard that she was to be given the opportunity to work with Elle Magazine’s advice columnist E. Jean. So, just how does a homeless girl get to become an intern at one of the world’s most prestigious fashion magazines?

The story goes back to April when she came across an ad last looking for writers/fashionistas to do an advice columnist competition.

“I believe they were specifically looking for ‘the Next Carrie Bradshaw’. OK, I have to admit, I’ve never seen a single episode of ‘Sex and the City’. Yes, I’m a traitor to my gender.”

It was more a shot in the dark than anything and she was quite certain she would never hear anything back from them but figured she would send in a quick letter with her story and see what happened.

“I mean, I’m less of a writer than a blogger, but I do love writing, and I love fashion, especially vintage and retro clothing. I bet I could out-cute SJP and her super-overpaid stylist any day, haha.”

Only she did hear back from them:

“…a certain chika was called in for a screen test this week. Guess who? (hint: me!!!!!)”

Of course now she found out what she was actually getting herself into. She discovered that the little competition she thought she had entered was in fact a reality tv show, produced by Freemantle Media of American Idol/America’s Got Talent fame.

“And the prize? An internship at Elle magazine, being mentored by a very funny, slightly crazy, super-awesome columnist whom I’ve read for years.”

Everyone remembers Chris Gardner, subject of the movie Pursuit Of Happyness, right? For those that don’t know the story, Chris Gardner earned a high-profile internship while living homeless - an internship which enabled him to go on to become a giant in the financial sector and multi-millionnaire.

However, it was too early to start thinking about movie deals just yet as this was certainly not to be the end of the story. On the day of the screen test, nerves got the better of her and in her own words, “I bombed it.”

Now regular readers here who know Bri also know how spirited and determined she can be and that she is not one to give up on something easily. She then took it upon herself to write in to E. Jean herself via her column at Elle.

Dear E. Jean: I’m currently homeless and living in a Wal-Mart parking lot. I’m educated, I have never done drugs, and I am not mentally ill. I have a strong employment history and am a career executive assistant. The instability sucks, but I’m rocking it as best as I can. Recently I stumbled across a job notice (a reality show casting call for executive assistants) and was intrigued enough to apply. It was a shot in the dark, and I assumed I’d never hear back. Surprise! I was called in this week! And I promptly bombed it. When I found out who was involved in the show I got kind of starstruck and completely froze up. My usual personality did not radiate. My question: How does one get another shot when one screws up a job interview? —Homeless, but Not Hopeless

Once more, Bri never expected to receive any response so you can imagine her surprise when she discovered not only that her letter had been published in Elle Magazine but also to the response that E. Jean had written to her.

“Of course, the cleverest way to land a good job (and get an apartment) is to already have a good job/internship/volunteer position. This strategy permits you to impress the interviewers with the superhuman passion you have for your current projects.”

“This is what you did with your letter: You knocked me out with your courage and spirit. I am therefore, Miss Not Hopeless, offering you a four-month internship……. If you accept this internship, you’ll telecommute to my East Coast mountain office one hour a day, six days a week. At the end of the four months, if you don’t have a job and an awesome place to live, I will become your intern.”

There was one more small potential problem, the article was a month old already and Bri only found out today. Some frantic emailing and a little cyber-stalking later though and Bri was able to make contact and verify that the position was still available to her. She starts September 1st.