Women in the World

Ok, I finally have a little time to sit down and blog (or I'm just a terrible blogger and that's my excuse...), and I can finally tell all about my amazing weekend.

This year was the 5th annual Women in the World Summit, a gathering of dozens of powerful and influential women who are making a real difference in the world. The summit is organized by Tina Brown, the founder of Women in the World, former editor at The Daily Beast, and current CEO of Tina Brown Live Media. And guess who was at the summit (hint: me!)?

I interned with Newsweek and The Daily Beast last summer, when Tina Brown was still in charge, and one of my editors now works for her over at Live Media. He sent me an e-mail over spring break (which I responded to while riding in a convertible through Newport, in typical California fashion), asking if I wanted to work the summit! Obviously!

I was on the social media team, responsible for live-tweeting various sessions during the summit from the WITW account; when I wasn't tweeting from there I was tweeting from my own account- basically I was using social media for my job!

My very first press credentials!

Lincoln Center, after Day 1.

Jon Stewart (yes that Jon Stewart!) and several Arab activists discussed the effects of the Arab Spring on women.

Charlie Rose and Pussy Riot!!

Sorry for the hotel selfies, I had to get at least one outfit picture. Blazer, Talbots. Skirt, Cynthia Rowley. Heels, Guess. Top, Ross. 

Tina Brown and UN Ambassador Samantha Power, one of my idols!

Just a few of the amazing women who spoke throughout the week.

One of my awesome editors from the Daily Beast! (Top and skirt, both Forever 21)

While I didn't get to meet anyone (the downside to being a reporter sometimes- less access!), I did have a seat in the press box for the summit and was able to be in the same room as not only great female journalists but great women who are making a huge difference. The best part was seeing Kelsey, one of my fellow interns from last summer who I become great friends with, who came up all the way from school in Florida for the summit! It was so much fun getting to stay with her in the city and hang out again!

It was a huge, huge honor to be a part of this and I hope to be back next year (provided I am not in Amsterdam)! This only confirms how much I love journalism and all the opportunities that it comes with, and I am so thankful to have had the chance to intern at The Daily Beast last summer and reunite with everyone. 

WITW Summit

I am so excited to announce that I am a Social Media volunteer for the 2014 Women in the World Summit!! As I write this I am at Lincoln Center in the production office getting ready to live tweet several panels throughout the summit. If you want to follow along, you can watch the live stream, follow us on Tumblr and Twitter, and check out the agenda.

I will be live tweeting from the Women in the World account throughout the summit so watch out for my tweets!  

New Orleans: Part 2

Saturday night in New Orleans- it just conjures up images of partying on Bourbon street, doesn't it? My Saturday night consisted of the wedding and boy, was it a blast. We Southerners really know how to throw a party, and weddings are our specialty.

The ceremony was held at St. Mary's, a beautiful old church in the French Quarter. It's an old Ursuline convent that has been around since 1845! The church has served various communities, particularly Italian immigrants, within New Orleans and has been perfectly preserved.

St. Mary's in the French Quarter.

The courtyard of the hotel where we all stayed, decorated for the reception. Look at all those candles! I'm in love. 

A real roasted Cuban pig- it may look gross but it tasted sooo good.

My first time trying oysters! This guy spent all night shucking oysters, and they were surprisingly better than I expected. 

The beautiful bride and groom. 

Dancing with the mother of the bride; her moves put me to shame!

I loved that the bride switched into a short Anthropologie dress for the reception, but still kept the bridal feel. 

Three generations; I'm glad I was able to spend so much time with my mom and grandmother!

Dress, Antonio Melani. Heels, Calvin Klein. 

Yeah you make we wanna shout! Nothing gets 50+ people out on the dance floor like a classic. Nashville-based Ocean Street performed all the songs for the reception, and they were great! 

All photos with watermark via Austin Scott Photography. 

I had a blast in New Orleans, between the rehearsal dinner, exploring the Garden District and the French Quarter, an amazing wedding ceremony and reception, and getting to finally return to the city where I spent so much of my childhood. This last picture pretty much sums up my weekend; spending time with amazing people that I haven't seen in forever and dancing the night away to all the perfect wedding songs (I actually love going to weddings, it's an excuse to dress up and act a little silly where no one can judge your dance moves!). I can't wait to go back to New Orleans! 

New Orleans: Part 1

I'm delving into the past for blog posts, as I'm feeling very uninspired lately. So, now is the perfect time to blog about my trip to New Orleans!

I spent a lot of time in New Orleans growing up, as my grandparents were living there and we made the short flight from Dallas to see them several times a year. I have always loved the city, but I hadn't been back since my grandparents moved when I was in the third grade, just a few months before Katrina, save for a cruise we took out of New Orleans a couple years ago, but we were only there for a few hours after we docked. So, this was my first real trip back to NOLA in almost ten years.

The purpose of my weekend jaunt was to attend the wedding of a family friend. Her parents are very good friends with my grandparents, and actually lived across the street from them. Although she's a few years older we spent a lot of time together when I was younger. So, when we received the invitation for her wedding, I knew I wanted to go. I'll always take an excuse to travel!

My mom, grandmother, and I all met up in Dallas, then flew to New Orleans the next day (LGA to DFW, DFW to NOLA, NOLA to DFW, and DFW to LGA all in 5 days!). We checked into our hotel on Bourbon, where the reception would be held, and immediately had to get ready for the rehearsal dinner.

The view from our hotel room.

Dress, Prabal Gurung for Target. Shoes, Betsey Johnson. Necklace, Sam Moon. 

I didn't get any pictures of the dinner, but it was held at a fabulous French restaurant in the quarter, where I was served a full plate of crème brûlée for desert! If your'e wondering how I could get away with no tights and short sleeves in November, it's because NOLA was still hovering around 75 degrees at night. Much, much better than New York at the time.

Saturday was for exploring, as we had plenty of time to kill before the ceremony and reception. First stop, of course, was breakfast and beignets. The famous Cafe du Monde was PACKED as usual, but we found a more delicious and significantly less crowded beignet spot down the street.

New Orleans Famous Beignets and Cafe, check it out if you're ever in the city!

Part 2 featuring the wedding will come tomorrow, stay tuned and laissez les bon temps rouler!! 

April 1st

There are so many things going on this month, and I wanted to take the time to sit down and reflect on this month and what it means. I'm turning the big 2-0 this month (that's a little scary!), so in honor of my birthday here are a few things I'm grateful for, proud of, or just amazed that they are happening!

1. I am turning 20. I will officially be two decades old. Being 20 seems like a useless birthday because I still can't drink or rent a car or gamble, but it's a big deal. I will finally stop being a teenager, yet I'm still in a weird limbo of not being a kid but not being an adult. However, a new decade means new beginnings!

2. I am performing on Broadway. I am so honored to be a part of Spacefroot Dance Company, and the fact that we are dancing at a theatre on Broadway in New York City (on my birthday) is unreal. I never, ever, ever thought that this would happen to me. Sure, every girl who takes a ballet class dreams on being that beautiful ballerina in all white on the NYC stage, but I'm pretty darn close to that dream.

4. I work two jobs, and being a Pride Guide and a French tutor has made me realize how important it is to manage your time. Creating a schedule for work, class, and extra curricular activities (can you still call them that in college?), has made me even more organized than I was before.

5. I have the opportunity to study abroad. While I wait for the University of Amsterdam to let me know whether or not they have accepted me, I think about all the things I plan on doing if I go- all the travel, sightseeing, and experiences I plan on having.

5. I am literally living my dream. I spent my whole life saying that I wanted to move to New York, and I did. I packed my little car up and headed here for college, fulfilling my dream of someday living in New York. Even if I don't end up living in New York forever after I graduate, I'm here now!

6. I just took an awesome trip to California with great friends, one of whom I have been friends with since the 7th grade! I am so thankful to be able to go across the country to see her at least once a year and spend some time in such a beautiful place!

7. I will officially welcome my lovely little, 'Geneva' into Zeta Phi Eta next weekend, bringing her into the Travel Tree!

8. I am acting in a friend's film project this weekend! While acting has never been my number one talent, I miss doing it in high school and I'm excited to help out with their shoot!

9. I have had 2 amazing internships, one in person and one virtual, and I have learned so much from both of them, more than I ever could learn in a classroom, even with all the opportunities Hofstra offers.

10. Finally, I have the honor to be on the Digital Team for the Women in the World Summit this weekend! One of my former editors from The Daily Beast e-mailed me over spring break and asked me to be a part of the team, to which I quickly said yes! I am so honored to be able to watch so many amazing women speak and have the opportunity to work on this summit! I am also super excited to be reunited with Kelsey, my best friend/co-intern when I was at Newsweek/The Daily Beast!

There are a million things I could list that I am excited or grateful for, but these are just a few of the amazing things happening in my life right now! I can't wait to post about the summit and later my show, so stay tuned!

What's In My Bag? School Edition

I've seen quite a few "What's In My Bag?" posts over the last few days (specifically these from The Chelsea Way and College Prepster), so I was inspired to post my own! Today is the School Edition, aka what I always, always, always have in my bag before I leave my dorm room.

Lilly Pulitzer Large Agenda//Kate Spade Tote (similar)//Target Notebook//Earbuds with case//Juicy Phone Case//Sunglasses//Wristlet//Laptop

I bought my first Lilly agenda last summer and I LOVE it. I chose the Large Agenda in Lucky Charm and it has been perfect. I like being able to write down everything I need to do for class, all my reading, and important dates! Plus it's the most adorable agenda you could possibly buy, and it'll never got lost in the bottom of the bag.

This Kate Spade Sophie Tote (scored at an outlet for $50!) is my favorite bag right now- it's super light so I can fill it until it overflows (which is pretty hard) and it's still manageable to carry around all day. Right now I'm coveting these two Beau bags (ugh, if only.) 

I never leave my room without my phone, and I certainly never leave without headphones! If I'm walking around campus by myself all day I have to listen to music. I just got a pair that comes with a bright chevron case that keeps them from getting tangled in my backpack.

I always have sunglasses with me, even if it's not sunny when I leave- you never know! 

This little Steve Madden wristlet (which I also have in purple) holds my phone, keys, and ID card. I can't get into my room without either of these, and this little wristlet makes it easy to run to dinner or the gym without bringing a purse.

My new love/obsession/favorite item ever is my MacBook Air. I never carried my laptop to class because it was inconvenient, but my Air now comes with me everywhere. While I still love handwritten things, and I always carry a notebook with me to jot down notes, to-do lists, or blog ideas, it is beyond convenient to have all of my class notes and textbooks in a few apps on my computer. 

These are just a few of the things I carry with me everyday- my bag is always full, especially lately when I find myself heading out the door at 9 or 10 and not returning for 12 or more hours. You never know what you're going to need!

What do you always carry in your bag, either to class or just everyday? 

Los Angeles Day 5: Santa Monica

Day 5- my last full day in Los Angeles :( I loved, loved, loved LA and cannot wait to go back. My trip was absolutely amazing and exactly what I needed in the middle of such a stressful semester. I spent a week with my best friend in the world in a beautiful place, and I would definitely rather still be hanging out in California than at school back in freezing New York.

For my last day we headed back into LA and hit up Santa Monica, the ultimate Cali-style beach neighborhood. Everything was bright and colorful and sunny and beachy- I loved it! Our first stop was Urth Cafe, a very LA restaurant with the best Spanish lattes (my weakness right now). Then it was off to Santa Monica pier, but not before spending wayyyy too much time on the swing set!

The fact that we all lined up for this picture by accident was perfect!