Kristie Dash: Pace University in NYC. [I majored in] Communication and Media Studies.
CF: Your story is a little out of the ordinary. Eva Chen hand-picked you as her assistant when she was named Lucky Magazine‘s new Editor-in-Chief while you were still in college. What was that moment like for you?
KD: Kind of unbelievable and the best thing ever. It all happened so fast and I was studying abroad at the time so I was very distracted. Actually, I was sitting alone in a London airport when I got the offer email from Eva. I obviously used my international minutes to call my parents, and I have the screenshots of WhatsApp convos with my best friends that still bring me great joy. I didn’t believe it was real until the morning I started about a month later. Actually, almost six months later, I still don’t believe this is real. Is this happening?
CF: Before recently graduating (congrats!), was it difficult for you to balance school and full-time work at once? How did you do it?
KD: To be honest, yes it was very difficult at times, but I had a lot of experience when it came to time-management. In middle school, classes ended at 2:30 p.m. and I went straight to ballet until 10 p.m. In high school, I still danced but also had a part-time job and was president of a million school clubs. Yes, I was that girl. Sigh. One semester in my sophomore year of college, I did two internships, a work study job and babysat regularly. My junior year I was an RA and an intern. Some may say that the circles under my eyes are signs of overcommitting, but there’s concealer for those. I thrive with the feeling of being totally consumed, so it’s just a part of my personality. In this case, I would finish work around 8 p.m. and then stay at the office until my online classwork was complete. I did what I needed to do. Also, coffee helped.
CF: You had your fair share of internships before landing your current position at Lucky. Do you have any helpful tips or advice for interns looking to turn their internship into a full-time career like you did?
CF: Although I’m sure it is quite unpredictable, what does an average day consist of for Eva Chen’s right-hand person?
KD: Eva is the most self-sufficient person I know but when it comes to her work schedule, I’d say I manage 99 percent of it. With days as jam-packed as hers, you’d also need someone to orchestrate them for you. It’s not physically possible to be busier than Eva Chen. In addition to that aspect of the job, I liaise with the other editors when pages need to be approved. Also, I semi-joke about being Eva’s own personal fashion/entertainment news alert system and professional Instagram photographer, as most of her non-selfie, in-office photos posing with visitors or food of some sort are often taken by me!
CF: What is the best part of working for a magazine that is currently undergoing rejuvenation?
KD: So much growth has taken place over the last few months alone, so it’s really exciting to see and be a part of it. The unofficial motto at Lucky: work hard, play hard. It’s such a fun environment to be in, but everyone truly works so hard.
CF: What has been the most rewarding experience since starting your career at Lucky Magazine?
KD: Getting to learn from the most inspiring women! Working for Eva is a dream on many levels, of course. Her 150K followers on Instagram could probably guess that. Then there’s the managing editor, Caryn, the deputy editor, Leigh, creative director, Katia, and many others. As a young woman, being able to watch and learn from smart, cool and kind female figures—some of whom have children!—is a rare learning experience in itself and I feel so lucky to work so closely with them.
CF: Finally, if you had to describe your style in three words, what would they be?
KD: Sleek, black, high-low luxe.