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Class: 2015, journalism and mass communication

Then: Photojournalist and Assistant Photo Editor at Iowa State Daily, Photo Intern at Backpacker Magazine

Now: Photojournalist at People Magazine

There is no such thing as a typical day. That was the best explanation Tiffany Herring, ’15, could give on what it’s like to be a 23-year-old journalist living in New York City.

Arriving at People magazine at 9 a.m. on a Monday morning to find her work scrapped for the third time always keeps Herring on her toes, but choosing journalism will mean a lot of rejection.

She remembers a specific occasion in which she had worked on a project for three weeks, found it on her desk “denied” for the third time, only to learn her new assignment would be constructing an interview that would be run in “Scoop,” a feature platform, about the royal baby on the way.

“It usually just means something better is in store for you, a new project,” Herring said. It’s worth it when she gets to do something out of the ordinary. Now a photo editor for People, Herring says one of her favorite projects is “Pets of Instagram.”

“So we literally just go around the city and find adorable pets,” Herring said. “There’s so much negativity in the news and that’s why I love doing this part. People deserve some relief and I know it would make my day to see an adorable puppy on my feed.”

Growing up in Council Bluffs, Herring always had an inkling she would do something creative. Unsure of what that might be, she entered her freshman year at Iowa State as a design major. When she realized she was still artistic but that wasn’t her path, Herring decided to pursue journalism instead. She found she especially liked storytelling because it had a purpose.

Prior to landing the People gig in April, Herring worked as an online photo editor for Travel + Leisure and Money magazines and the Time Inc. News Desk. She also served as a photo intern for Esquire and Backpacker magazines, and still maintains an active photo freelance business.

Like many Greenlee undergraduates before her, Herring worked for the Iowa State Daily and recalls feeling especially prepared in the “real world” after her time there.

“Roll with the punches,” Herring said. “Meet every single person in your office, and don’t stop reaching.”

Written by Sidney Haren