You’ve heard of the Fordham publications The Observer, The Ram, The Ampersand, The Comma, maybe even Mode Magazine and now… FLASH. For Fordham University students obsessed with all things fashion, FLASH is an online source for beauty, food, fitness, art and NYC culture. Emily Tiberio, FCLC ’17, and Kathleen-Mae Ramas, FCLC ’17, are co-editors-in-chief. They stress the importance of FLASH being a creative outlet for students from both campuses. The online magazine allows Fordham students to express their interests and gain valuable experience.

Tiberio and Ramas are in charge of every aspect of FLASH Magazine. Their ongoing roles are exciting yet stressful. “We create our production schedules, organize events and photo shoots, and oversee all section editors. It is also our responsibility to keep the voice and the vision for the magazine one that is true to what FLASH is,” Tiberio explained.

In addition to Tiberio and Ramas, the FLASH Magazine team is made up of two co-editors for each section, two online editors, creative directors, an assistant creative director and contributors — writers, photographers, models, and stylists.

FLASH Magazine is divided into three sections — fashion, beauty and culture that target Fordham students of all identities. The beauty section consists of beauty gurus and junkies who speak on makeup, skincare and fitness trends. As for the culture section, readers are able to find new and exciting ways to explore New York City. When it comes to figuring out specific topics to write about in each section, writers pitch a list of ideas which is then considered by the editorial team. The section editors construct an idea based on the pitched articles or inspiration they have acquired and decide on a loose theme that can include each article. Oftentimes, Tiberio and Ramas already have ideas going into the semester of a specific feature story. For example, New York Fashion Week is happening. In the fall 2015 issue, NYFW street style photos were featured on the front and back cover. And in the spring 2016 issue, there will be a feature on designer, Meagan Ollari.

[quote_center]”…we find it really exciting if we can also have viewers outside of Fordham.”[/quote_center]

One big question that arose while researching FLASH Magazine is why is FLASH Magazine online rather than in print? Tiberio stressed the importance of preserving “the beauty and integrity of the magazine with good quality printing.” Since it is very expensive to print, Tiberio and Ramas don’t want to sacrifice the magazine’s look to have it be printed.

Ramas continues, saying their audience is “Each and every Fordham student!” Tiberio even added “Beyond that, we find it really exciting if we can also have viewers outside of Fordham.” Publishing digitally allows FLASH Magazine to be noticed by other students invested in this digital age. Because its online, posting a link on any form of social media to advertise FLASH is very easy and effective, according to Ramas. FLASH Magazine is published on the platform, issuu. Tiberio and Ramas receive email notifications when users on issuu save FLASH Magazine to their “stacks,” which is a list of magazines the user wants to read again. For right now, FLASH Magazine will continue to be digital. But, in the future, the editors are not opposed to print.

Tiberio and Ramas both got involved in FLASH Magazine their freshman year. Tiberio was excited to get involved in the creative team as a graphic designer while Ramas was interested in getting experience in publication. Being apart of FLASH allowed Ramas to gain information about magazines she would have never found out if it wasn’t for this experience.

As creative director her sophomore year, Tiberio “learned to work with tight deadlines and to collaborate with a team in order to create a magazine that fit the vision of the team and the image of FLASH.”

As soon as Tiberio and Ramas were promoted to co-editors-in-chief, both learned to direct, manage and organize a team and a publication. Ramas said she learned “how to be much more of a confident leader.” Both ladies have watched FLASH Magazine grow immensely and have learned a great deal of knowledge. They both hope to continue to be a factor of making FLASH Magazine a great source of all things fashion. They hope to expand the magazine’s audience and have students gain experience in publication because FLASH continues to grow each day. Recently, FLASH has become a club at Fordham.

If you are interested in joining the FLASH Magazine team, make sure to like the FLASH Magazine Facebook page to stay up to date on upcoming events, outings, and requests for models, photographers, etc.