Meet Victoria Van Vlear, class of 2014.
Tell us a little about your post-Biola work and life journey.
When I graduated from Biola, I thought I wanted to write and edit fiction books, but the Lord led me in a different direction. Through a friend who had graduated a few years earlier, I learned about a journalism internship with a magazine company. I'd never been interested in journalism—harried reporters working through the night to get breaking news out the next morning was the picture in my head, and it sounded miserable (still does). But in the home decor world with magazine journalism, I found the dream job I never thought I wanted. The internship led to a full-time position, which I'm still in now, and I'm so thankful the Lord led me even where I didn't think I wanted to go. He knows me better than I do.
What's your current position, and in what ways has your English degree prepared you for the job?
I'm currently the brand leader and editor of American Farmhouse Style magazine, a national home decor publication. Actual writing and editing is a very small part of my job—I mainly manage and drive the brand's direction by bringing the farmhouse-style community the kind of content they want to see. This includes both print and digital assets, from our bi-monthly magazine to web features and social media. On the business side, I work with our ad team to cultivate advertiser relationships and develop web and social media strategies and campaigns. The foundations Biola gave me for writing well, managing deadlines, researching topics and having a good work ethic have served me well.
What was a favorite class or experience you had while a Biola English major?
Advanced Composition is the class where I really learned how to edit. Spending an entire class session editing a single person's article as a group was invaluable. Vision, Voice, and Practice was also a favorite; it helped me see my writing as a practice and allowed me to cultivate it as such.
What about life after college was most surprising to you?
It's hard to maintain a consistent writing habit! I'd still like to see a fiction book I've written published, but working full-time and getting married makes it difficult to write consistently. I graduated almost five years ago, and only in the last two years have I really found my stride in personal writing projects.
What advice would you give to a current Biolan majoring in English?
Do internships and get summer or school-year jobs that can help you explore your career options. You'll not only get a feel for what you do (and don't) want to do for a living, but you'll also be networking and creating good experience for your resume. I was blessed to see both sides of this: early at Biola, I thought maybe I wanted to go into library science. But getting a job at the Biola Library (which I did love) helped me see that it wasn't where I wanted to go with my career. Interning with my current job had the opposite effect—I now knew exactly what I wanted to do.
What have you been reading lately?
Via audiobook, I'm currently reading The Vindication of the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft and Renegades (YA fantasy) by Marissa Meyer. Physical reads include A Guide to Culture by John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle (a Biola grad), From Paradise to the Promised Land (a commentary on the Torah) by T. Desmond Alexander, and The Falconer series (another YA fantasy) by Elizabeth May. I just finished reading a book during Lent, Beloved Dust: Drawing Close to God By Discovering the Truth About Yourself by Biola professor Kyle Strobel.