I Was The Apprentice

Celebrity Apprentice, citizen journalism, television, The Apprentice, Donald Trump, NBC, You're Fired

Stefanie poses with her new boss.

I think that you can keep your femininity and not try to fit in with the boy's club. You can be polite and classy, and you don't need to raise your voice.

Stefanie Schaeffer , California

Date Posted: 05/11/07

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Last night, Celebrity Apprentice got underway, with people like KISS tongue-man Gene Simmons and former Apprentice wannabe Omarosa competing for a charity of their choice. Some say the celebrity version is an attempt to re-energize sagging ratings on the show. While some die-hard fans of The Apprentice haven't missed a season, not many people can remember the name of the woman who won in last. Her name is Stefanie Schaeffer, and shortly after her win, she told Orato.com her story.

Last season's battle for Trump's apprenticeship was one of the most exciting competitions to date, due mainly to the rare treat of watching a woman receive those two magic words: 'You're hired.'

For fans of The Apprentice, the pleasure in watching Schaeffer win was not only in witnessing the victory of an ambitious woman in business, but even more so from the fact Stefanie kept her dignity intact and didn't "ball break" to get ahead. Here, Stefanie talks about her management beliefs, how her life has changed and her own understanding of what she brought to Trump's boardroom table, which ultimately left her as the last woman standing, one million applicants later.

Right now everything is a bit overwhelming, but in a fun way. I'm sure as we progress on the golf course development, it will be less of a shock. The big change for me has been going from being a trial attorney to being a project manager for Mr. Trump, which has been kind of a 180-degree flip.

I'm excited about the fact that my work now will be much more business-oriented, and less academic than practicing law. Of course I'm excited about the fact I can bring my legal background into overseeing Cap Cana, and any other project I might be involved with for Mr. Trump. What I'm looking forward to most is being more closely involved with construction and land development, which is really my greatest passion.

As the project manager, I get my elbows dirty, which is something I appreciate with this new role. This job requires me to be on site as opposed to being behind a desk. I'm much more mobile and active now, and yes, it requires a whole lot of energy.