FINALS ARE OVER!!! Can you tell I'm excited? Finals usually aren't bad for me because I'm always done on the first day or earlier, but not this semester. I was blessed with having 3 finals (2 of which were cumulative) that lasted until the last day of finals. Of course, this is the one year that I actually had a lot of things to do once school was out for the summer. I am now down to the wire and have 13 days to soak up all of STL/Missouri summer that I can, while at the same time trying to prepare myself for the adventures that await me in NY. I wish I had started this blog sooner to be able to look back at the process of how I got where I am now but here is a basic rundown:
I decided a long time ago I wanted to work in the celebrity world or be one myself. The way I would get there I was never quite sure, but at least I knew what I wanted. Freshman year I came in to Mizzou as Broadcast major determined to be the next Katie Couric. Then I took J1010 and realized I actually had no interest working in the middle of nowhere for little money. At the conclusion of the first semester a boy almost had me moving back home to go to Lindenwood University to be a teacher. Dumb I know, but I came to my senses and decided to stay put. Advice from friends got me back into the Journalism School after switching to Communications, when I came to the conclusion that PR/ becoming a publicist is what I wanted to do.
Last summer I was set to move to L.A. to intern at a fashion pr firm. I had my living situation picked out (a frat house on USC's campus), approval from my parents, the whole deal. As summer plans were being finalized, I again let a boy stand in my way. Wow, I'm seeing a trend here. He told me if I moved to L.A. it was over, so with a week or two left of school I changed all plans and decided to stay in Columbia for summer school. I took News Reporting (probably the most dreaded class of j-majors) and absolutely loved it. There I was back at square one, thinking maybe I do want to be in broadcast. This time though it was in a different context, because during the class my passion for sports and reporting about them was discovered. I still dream of taking over for my idol, Erin Andrews, one day but in the mean time I have a more realistic plan, which takes me to where I am now.
I decided last fall I wanted to do the New York Program and started searching for internships all the way back in October. I seriously cannot count the number of hours I spent applying for obnoxious amounts of internship programs, but in the end it paid off. I had interviews with 6 different companies and had the luxury of choosing which one I wanted. It came down to a run-off between The Rosen Group, New York Mets, Gucci, and Fleishman Hillard. As most of you know, I picked Gucci- because I know I will get experience there that no other place can provide. And hanging around celebs isn't such a bad gig, right? So in just under 2 weeks I will be heading there to live out my dreams. How I will pack 3 months of living into 2 checked bags, I will never know. (blog post on packing is soon to come, I'm sure)
Speaking of packing, before I jet set to NY I also must pack for Columbia for next fall. I am set to return from NY on August 7th, which coincidentally is the day I must be back in Columbia for recruitment. So it will be a whirlwind few days I'm sure, but the point being that I will literally be gone the WHOLE summer. The concept of being gone for the entire summer really hit me as I was lying awake from the fabulous hail storm last night. I will come out and say it, I'm really freakin scared. I can play it cool all I want but at the end of the day I have no idea how I'm going to handle not seeing all the people I care about most for 3 straight months. Being only an hour and a half away from school, I come home a lot. Partly because I miss my puppy & fam, partly because I have laundry that needs to be done ;) (jk mom...but seriously, I have no idea how to do it, which is a whole other issue in and of itself) Not being able to come home just to get away from things for a few hours is going to be weird. Word on the street is that every New Yorker finds their own special 'spot' in the city that they feel perfectly comforted at though, so hopefully I find mine quickly.
Speaking of spots, for those of you who don't know I get to intern on 5th Avenue at Gucci. This couldn't be a more perfect location for me because there is so many incredible things just steps away from me. The office is pretty high up so we overlook both 5th avenue shopping and Central Park, giving me the best of both worlds. If I could define serenity, it would be Central Park so I absolutely can not wait to spend a lot of quality time there after work. And what's not to love about 5th Ave, well besides the crazy prices? Along the way to Gucci is also Times Square which to me is the perfect visual representation of NYC living: bright lights, fast pace, and non-stop action. I have no doubt that these three places alone will help make my transition easier, hopefully even making it really hard for me to want to come back. Our program advisor told us that while we may experience a little culture shock at first in NY, the real culture shock occurs for most students when they get back and realize there is absolutely nothing in Columbia, Mo. It's funny, but I have a feeling its true. I haven't slept in a while, due to finals, so that's all for now. Thanks for reading! :)
- Allie
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