The long game

August 2026

A copy of Oklahoma Living on my parents' table led to an internship, then a career. Small opportunities can change a life forever.

There was always a copy of Oklahoma Living on my parents’ kitchen table at the beginning of each month.

Like so many rural Oklahomans, my family received the magazine through our electric cooperative. I would flip through the pages, reading stories about people and places across the state. One spring during college, I was drawn in with a story about enhancing reading with cell phones (pictured above) and I noticed
something: an intern was listed among the staff.

That tiny line of text changed the course of my life.

I applied, and in the summer of 2011, I walked into the Oklahoma Living office as an intern with a notebook in hand and a lot to learn.

The lessons came from mentors who took the time to answer questions, from deadlines that taught responsibility and from opportunities that pushed me beyond what I thought I could do.

Today, I have the privilege of serving as editor of the very magazine where I once interned.

This month, we’re highlighting internships and the opportunities they create. For many students, an internship is the first chance to see a profession up close, to discover new talents or to imagine a future they hadn’t considered before.

I know because that was my story.

A magazine on a kitchen table led me to an internship. That internship led me to a career I love. And all these years later, I still think about how one small opportunity changed everything.

You never know which lesson, conversation or open door will shape a life. Sometimes, it starts with something as simple as turning a page.