STAFF SPOTLIGHT: LAILA SAMPHILIPO

Staff Spotlight: Laila Samphilipo

Fashion Editor Esther Manso chatted with outgoing Digital Editor Laila Samphilipo, who has been running REFINE’s blog since the Indulgence Issue. The two talked about REFINE’s website, advice for incoming students, and what comes next for Laila.

By Esther Manso

EM: How did you become interested in working for a magazine, and what led you to your current position?

LS: I’m a writer, and growing up I’d always taken every opportunity I could to do so. I would draft little books in elementary school, and, in high school, I worked my way up to Editor-in-Chief of my school’s newspaper.

My freshman year at Temple was lonely thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it encouraged me to seek out opportunities to connect with other students. I discovered REFINE on Instagram and became a consistent reader of both the magazine and blog. I loved REFINE’s unwavering confidence and its ability to be a platform where all are encouraged to share their thoughts and experiences from silly trends (like when I wrote a whole article about Emily Mariko’s salmon bowl!) to hard-hitting journalism (like Amna’s Palestinian music piece).

REFINE was my first opportunity to write for a blog or magazine, which really excited me. I applied during the summer going into my sophomore year and joined REFINE’s team as a features writer. During my first semester writing, I discovered I really enjoyed REFINE’s blog in particular. At the end of the semester, the Digital Editor position opened, I applied, and have been in the position since!

EM: Can you share a typical day or week in your role, outlining key tasks and priorities?

LS:I’m going to be cliché here and say what you’re all expecting: no two days look the same. It’s corny, but true!

Generally, though, I spend a lot of time editing and giving constructive feedback to staff writers about their writing, communicating with our copy and senior editors to keep articles moving along, developing pitch wells, updating tracking sheets, and uploading content to REFINE’s blog.

Since fall, Editor-in-Chief Samantha Roehl and I have been creating monthly pitch wells which we then email to all REFINE’s staff writers at the beginning of each month. This has been so helpful for everyone — it relieves stress from the staff writers, who are now provided with article ideas, and it helps myself and the editors keep track of content. I also created a tracking sheet this past semester, which I frequently update to make sure all content is accounted for and moving along in the approval process.

In any given week, I’m probably texting with a few staff writers about their blogs, whether we’re brainstorming together or going over edits I’ve made. I’m likely communicating with the copy and senior editors too, to make sure projects are moving along, and updating my tracking sheet for accuracy and producing ideas for the pitch wells.

I’d say time management is key in this role. It’s not necessarily hard work, but it’s a lot of little things that accumulate.

EM: Can you highlight a project or accomplishment that you are particularly proud of in your time at the magazine?

LS: REFINE’s blog feels like my baby at this point (OK, maybe a baby I co-parent!). It’s incredibly rewarding to see the work of such hardworking writers appear on the blog after weeks of editing and fine-tuning to perfection.

From a writing perspective, I think I’m most proud of my article, When Your Mental Break Turns Into A Mental Breakdown, which was included in the Spring 2022 Indulgence issue.

I was completely captivated by the pitch alone, and it turned out to be such an intriguing and wonderful article to write. My own mental health wasn’t great at the time either, so it was really helpful on a personal level to learn about healthy alternatives to doom scrolling.

EM: Other than REFINE, what are other things that are you excited for in the new year? Or what current hobbies have you been getting into ?

LS: Looking into the new year, I’m really excited to graduate a semester early from Temple and begin my public relations career! Also, BookTok has inspired me to begin reading some more. I even took a creative writing course this past semester to try to push myself to buy more books for the new year.

EM: What are your plans after graduation and hat are you looking forward to the most?

LS: After graduation, I’m looking forward to pursuing a career in public relations. During my time at Temple, I worked for the Fox School of Business, where I drafted articles and other written materials for circulation on their website, social media, and newsletters. It definitely reinforced in me my passion for higher education, and I’m looking forward to meshing this passion, and my love for writing, in future roles.

EM: Lastly, what advice would you give to an incoming freshman or temple students in general?

LS: I would encourage incoming freshmen and students to get involved. College is truly the opportunity to fully explore your