On the Job

Of the 17 students sitting in the Phoenix Room of Rodale Press in Emmaus on January 12, only two were from Moravian College: Lenore DiLullo ’05 and Christina Difilippantonio ’06. The others had come from Syracuse University, Bryn Mawr College, and other schools around the region. One came all the way from Maine. That’s how keen is the competition for internships and employment.

This gathering of aspiring writers, editors, and graphic designers was one of 20 “Road Trips to the Real World” scheduled in January. The road trips were a project of the Eastern Association of Colleges and Employers, which brings together career and placement administrators with the business community.

Warren Hilton, in his second year as director of Moravian’s Career Center, is a member of the association and chair of its liberal arts network. Together with assistant director Christine Rander ’89, he set up the visit to Rodale, which is in Moravian’s back yard.

This year, the road trips have ranged from the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, New Jersey, to the FBI, from a Liberty Mutual intro to insurance in Boston and a weekend package from Collette Vacations in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

At Rodale, the students were welcomed by Jessica Glick and Andy Kantner of the human resources office. They saw a video on the history and current activities of the company. Then they interacted with a panel of writers, editors, and designers from the Rodale magazines Runner’s World, Men’s Health, and Prevention.

Many of the panelists started off as interns or novice editors not all that long ago, and they were candid with the students about such topics as résumés and portfolios, transfers within the company, and the whole area of “service journalism”—those “how-to” stories that fill Rodale pages but are rarely taught in journalism school.

Afterward, the students were treated to a reception that wasn’t your usual cookies and punch. All the food was from Rodale’s gardens, and the drinks were natural teas and herbal refreshers. The panel members circulated with up-close and personal advice. You could see the students trying to take notes as they balanced their plates of organic salad.

Moravian doesn’t have a lock on Rodale. But at least one of its alumni was in the right place at the right time: Dave Zinczenko ’91, who’s now editor of Men’s Health, author of a new book on building abs, and a heartthrob after being chosen one of People magazine’s 50 most eligible bachelors in 2003.

Lenore DiLullo ’05 speaks with Andy Kantner of Rodale Press at the reception during the “Road Trip to the Real World” set up by Moravian’s Career Center in January.

Photo: Warren Hilton