c. Kate McDermott

It’s that time of year again; when New York fashionistas brave wintery weather; wearing what can only be deemed appropriate for this one particular event — Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week— where fashion is in the forefront at Lincoln Center, the Mecca of MBFW, for the Fall/Winter 2014 season.

Access to the tents is a right of passage for any fashion blogger. My road to MBFW started in 2009; a recent college graduate, I accepted an unpaid virtual internship for a culture and society blog based in New York City and took on the monumental task of procuring their fashion week coverage; working with writers and photographers to cover over forty shows during the event.

As fate would have it,  that first foray into fashion, meant to be just a few-day trip, turned into moving to New York after I landed my first real job— on top of my internship— the very same week. Luckily, some how,  I survived to tell the tale.

Now, four years later, I’ve stayed in contact with my coveted connections; my NYC roots and I’m fortunate enough to still attend a few shows each season— this time, as I entered Lincoln Center for the Noon by Noor runway show, I realized that patience and persistence is key— and even in the craziest of times,  everything always works out eventually.

Many times, unpaid internships make college and post-grad women feel under-appreciated and overwhelmed; I know that’s definitely how I felt back then. But now, with a career doing what love, filled with perks from hard work,  like attending NYFW, I know that that it all pays off, and that’s a beautiful thing.

Share your intern stories with us in the comments below or tweet us @Kathryn_Mallory and @UChic!