Brianna Karp (aka "Bri"), the homeless blogger who landed an internship at ELLE. Photo courtesy Brianna Karp
Yep, the Orange County writer, who posts about homeless issues on her blog, The Girls Guide to Homelessness, wrote about her experience entering a fashion advice contest back in April, which eventually landed her an audition for a reality show.
The reality show prize was an internship at Elle -- mentored by the magazine's advice columnist E. Jean Carroll -- Bri told homelesstales.com.
"Of course, I totally bombed it," she wrote on her blog. But the experience prompted her to write a letter to Carroll asking about second chances after a bad job interview.
Carroll's response, posted in July's Elle? An offer for a four-month internship.
Homelesstales says Bri only found out about the offer this week, but that she was able to confirm it and starts Sept. 1.
Bri poses with her dog, Fezzik. Photo courtesy of Brianna Karp
"The past two days have definitely been pretty crazy," she says. "It was so surreal finding out from another blog (SaveTheAssistants.com) that I had been offered the internship, and then I just pretty much went into panic mode trying to contact E. Jean back. So, I was über-relieved to find out that the offer was still on the table and hadn't been rescinded."
She told us the media storm she's experienced since the story broke has been "very humbling, to say the least."
"I'm so taken aback at the amount of attention this has received, and am very thankful for all the support I've been offered, both by my long-term friends who have been following and encouraging me for several months now, and by complete strangers who have been kind enough to drop in and leave me with an inspirational comment," Karp says.
"I just spoke with E. Jean last night and she is absolutely fantastic, larger than life and exactly what you'd expect reading her column.
"She's accomplished so much in her lifetime, she always looks fantastic and her enthusiasm is contagious. You can tell she's got such a big heart and I'm honored that she was kind enough to take an interest in my letter. I am aware that something this huge will open a lot of doors for me that may never have opened otherwise, so I'm intensely grateful for that and still just kind of reeling and taking it all in" she adds.
"I am an educated woman with stable employment and residence history," Bri writes on her blog. "I have never done drugs. I am not mentally ill. I am a career executive assistant – coherent, opinionated, poised, and capable. If you saw me walking down the street, you wouldn't assume that I live in a parking lot. In short, I am just like you – except without the convenience of a permanent address."
We're guessing a permanent address will be coming soon.