My Week in Review: May 27 – June 2

Monday: Over the weekend I went with Alex to his parents’ house about two hours away from where we live. His parents were sweet enough to get me this 21 charm for my Pandora bracelet in honor of my impending birthday. They’ve given me all my charms so far and I’m really looking forward to them slowly filling up my bracelet over the years.

Tuesday: I had gone back home from Alex’s parents’ house on Monday night just to drive back the next day. Alex gave a speech at his old high school and he completely forgot about it until the day of. I decided to drive back to see him speak as well as to hang out with Natalie their foreign exchange student from the Ukraine. She went home this past Wednesday and I’m definitely going to miss her. To watch a video from today click here.

Wednesday: I’ve really been having a fantastic time creating new outfits and exploring my own closet. It’s easy for things to get lost or swept to the side, so it’s fun to go on an adventure and see what kind of out fit I can put together.

Thursday: Alex and I with two other friends entered a case study competition a few months ago. After a lot of work on Alex and my part to get the projects done and to make the videos, we ended up winning! Each one of us got our own iPad and they FINALLY came today!

Thursday: Needless to say I went right out and bought myself a wonderful iPad case that I completely love. Alex and I spent the evening playing with our iPads and making them perfect.

Friday: I usually don’t work on Fridays, but this week I had to make up for not working Memorial Day. Silly me forgot that Friday is casual dress day. Oh well! I really enjoyed this outfit!

Sunday: Today I hosted my first ever Mary Kay party and had a complete blast. I purchased a few items that I’m incredibly excited to have arrive! To watch a video of today click here.

Greek Life: Taking a Step Back

I’ve been an active part of my sorority since I joined back in 2010. From being on committees to taking on a lot of different positions, I have learned the ins and outs of my organization. For years I’ve put my heart into TPA, but I’ve gotten to the point in my life and education that I’ve been forced to take a step back.

I’m graduating at the end of this year, so these last two semesters are going to be packed with final courses and internships. There just isn’t enough time to accomplish everything I need to academically and financially on top of all of the sorority obligations. I had to prioritize and do what is best for me in the long run. That just happens to mean fewer sorority events. In the end I know I’ll be much happier not trying to kill myself by doing everything. It’s just going to be weird not being a part of a lot of things.

In Turn: My Experiences as a Non-Profit Intern #5

I’m at an interesting place with the Habitat internship right now. It just stopped being possible to drive the 35 minutes to the ReStore every Friday on top of classes starting and needing to put my gas money somewhere else. So I emailed my bosses asking them if it was alright to just work exclusively from home like I do the rest of the week. They both understood my situation and agreed to keep in better communication about upcoming events and information. I’m sure none of us are surprised that I have yet to hear from them again.

I plan on emailing them tomorrow asking for any photos or specific things they want posted, but I’m not expecting a response any time soon. I desperately want to help the business, and I have already seen improvements in their online presence thanks to my efforts. Yet I can only do so much and now I fully understand why the ReStore has been having so many problems for so long. Everyone in charge is so eager for change, but do very little to help those who are trying to bring about the changes.

My shift from coming to the store to working exclusively at home should not have had any significant impact seeing as all the work I do is online anyway. I’m pessimistic however that communication will improve even with all my efforts and clear attempts to explain what I need from them. At least I’m learning how to work with difficult people and still try to accomplish things.

In Turn: My Experiences as a Non-Profit Intern #4

I’m playing a game of telephone that I did not want to play.

There are a lot of positives to interning at a place like the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. I feel like I’m really helping Habitat get their name out there more and make profits in order to build more houses. I’m gaining good experience to put on my resume about building an online presence for a company. But the communication here sucks.

I’m not sure if it’s because one of my two bosses doesn’t actually work at the ReStore and is just on the board of Habitat or what, but it’s damn near impossible to get feedback from either one of them. It’s  like I’m playing a terrible game of telephone and I just can’t seem to get the information I need from them. I made a newsletter to send out monthly and sent it to both of them at least three weeks ago to see what they thought about it. Still no feedback from either one of them after multiple resends and asking them about it.

I think I’ve been doing a decent job with keeping content up to date though considering I still don’t have a firm grasp on exactly what events/promotions are coming up or what either one of my bosses wants publicized. I managed to pull a few dates from the manager in the store by asking him to fill out a calendar I made and sent to him, but I still feel like I’m drowning in a sea of unknown.

Any suggestions or words of advice would be greatly appreciated.

The photo is from tumblr.

In Turn: My Experiences as a Non-Profit Intern #3

It’s hard trying to take a company to a new place, even harder when everyone employed has no idea how to keep up your efforts once you leave. I’m facing this problem right now with my internship. I’ve been working incredibly hard to get the Habitat for Humanity ReStore a better, consistent online presence and have developed a very professional looking email newsletter through mailchimp. My biggest worry is that everything I’m doing is going to die as soon as my internship is over.

I have plans on making how-to guides with screen shots to show my “replacement” how to do everything from log on to Facebook to redesigning the newsletter for each month. I’m just weary of much work that’s actually going to end up being.

If only they had some funds to pay someone like me to keep up the sites. It would be so much easier to just keep someone from my generation on the payroll rather than scrambling after I leave. It’s impossible for me to keep giving away my time for free anymore though. Graduation is looming and internships aren’t going to keep cutting it.

In Turn: My Experiences as a Non-Profit Intern #2

The Thanksgiving break kept me away from the ReStore for a few weeks. I didn’t mind the break, but at the same time I like doing work for the store. During my drive in this morning I dealt with a consistent rain that would later begin turning into snow. My eagerness for the day quickly faded.

One thing that’s really become apparent over the few times I’ve worked at the ReStore: there are a lot of characters here. Once I got to the store I was greeted eagerly by the manager who is always more than willing to sit around and talk for hours on end. He spills company problems and turmoil like he’s merely talking about what he’s had for breakfast that morning. He means well I’m sure. The most interesting of the characters thus far has been who I’ve concluded must be the assistant manager. I’ll provide you with a very similar image of what he looks like.

He literally wanders the store in his cowboy hat looking as if he’s lost his trusty steed. Every conversation I’ve had with him is about some guy who keeps putting passwords on the computer I use to work on the marketing. He adamantly informs me each time that he will wipe the computer again if he does it another time. I feign sympathy and wait till he tires his cowboy-self out with his rant.

This place is interesting. I like people with character.

In Turn: My Experiences as a Non-Profit Intern #1

Yep. I’m back at it with yet another internship. I have a tendency to get internships really easily, but never ones that pay. This time however, I’m working for Habitat for Humanity. I’m excited to get some non-profit work in while building my resume.

Today is technically my second day. The resale store where I’m stationed at is 30 minutes away from my apartment (on a good day without traffic) and being a struggling college student like everyone else, I don’t have the gas money to come work more than once a week on location. So every Friday I get  up bright and early and make the drive here. During the rest of the week I work on things from home.

This internship is definitely a lot different from my other ones. It’s literally a resale shop ran under the Habitat for Humanity name. It looks like your average Goodwill or Salvation Army, but without clothing and with a LOT better furniture. I fight the urge to buy up all the cheaply priced yet good quality furniture on a daily basis.

My job as the intern here is to improve their online presence. Surprisingly enough, it’s not that bad to begin with; I’m just touching things up and updating things more regularly than had been done in the past.

The people here are incredibly interesting. I’m used to well dressed advertising agents or banking moguls at my internships. Here everyone is a volunteer and each person is quirky in their own way. It’s an odd bunch, yet I feel incredibly comfortable and at ease working with them. At least I know none of us are getting paid.

I have a feeling this internship is going to provide a lot of interesting stories to share with you all ( :

Why Days Like Today Keep Life Interesting

I woke up this morning feeling the effects of stress and lack of sleep hitting my body. I could tell I was getting sick. But I couldn’t stay in bed like I longed to, I had my internship to go to. Once there I was in a fog. Luckily the branch has been incredibly slow for the past few weeks so I was able to hide in a teller window and do very few transactions. It was in the later part of the day when I saw my internship program manager walk in. The very important district manager had already been in the branch for an hour or so. And they wanted to talk to me.

A little back story: I had not been enjoying the internship. Sure I liked the people I worked with and the clients were always interesting, but I was getting unwanted attention from my branch manager about my less than stellar sales. She would often target me in group meetings in a very unpleasant way. I also did not want to get stuck as a teller for the rest of my life.

So I walk into the office and immediately know where the conversation was going. They asked about how I thought I was doing and if I saw myself coming back for the second part of the internship next year. That’s when emotional me just lost it. Not crazy bawling, but a crack in my voice and a few tears. It was a stressful situation and I was about to do something I hadn’t done before: be completely and totally honest to a bunch of strangers. I told them I didn’t want to come back next year, and they seemed glad I said that.

Then things got interesting when they gave me the option of ending my internship before the end of the month. No more stressing about how I was going to juggle sorority responsibilities, planning a large event, my online class, and a budding new romance. I felt sudden relief. And complete terror.

They let me leave early for the day to think about what I wanted to do (continue until the end or cut things short). After I calmed down, talked to my parents and close friends I determined that I was ready to be done.

All of this was quickly followed by my first ever 5K race. My mom and I have been training to walk in the Crim (a big race in Flint) for a few months now and decided we should get a few races under our belts before then. So feeling sick, without much sleep, and after quite the day at work, I suited up.

I had a BLAST. I worked my ass off and got a really good time (I was doing 13 minute miles walking…let’s not get crazy and think I actually ran a 5K or anything). I even got a plaque for ranking first in my age division. Sure there was no one else in my age bracket, but who cares?!

It’s days like these when I really am baffled at life. One minute I can be admitting defeat at a job I hated and the next walking 5K in the pouring rain feeling powerful. Life is truly unpredictable.

In Turn: My Experiences as a Banking Intern #2

I’m almost two weeks into the program at this point and I am completely loving it. At the start of last week I attended the usual orientation sessions filled with ice-breakers and team building. Although those days weren’t necessarily fun, at the end of the week I went to the branch I will be working at to meet everyone and do observations. I seriously adore everyone at the branch. I can’t believe how nice they were to me and how willing they were to just let me into their club of sorts. By the end of the week I was gossiping with fellow employees a number of years older than me  just like I would my college friends. I didn’t want to leave but I had to go to teller training so I could learn how to actually do something while I am at the branch.

The thought of teller training terrified me when I was first informed that’s what we would be doing this first summer. Yet today marked the third day of five and I am actually really enjoying myself. I found ways to overcome my math impairment and it’s been smooth sailing ever since. There are so many little details to the process that it keeps my detail-orientated mind entertained and I find myself itching to complete transactions. I think I may be becoming a banker…

The final exam to get certified as a teller is on Friday, then back to the branch on Monday. How fast time is going; it’ll really start to feel worth it when I see that first paycheck.

In Turn: My Experiences as a Banking Intern #1

I bet you’re thinking, “I thought it you were interning for an advertising agency!?” Well my time at the agency has come to a close after I completed my 150 hours. I made a number of fantastic connections while I was there that will hopefully lead to many great opportunities in the future (like being the production coordinator on a documentary this summer and doing some modeling in the fall perhaps?! I’ll keep you posted!) I am now an intern with a bank; one of the first interns to be part of a new program that was started between the bank and the university. (Just for security’s sake I won’t name names when talking about this internship like I did with the advertising one!)

I’m a communications major with a focus in advertising and public relations, so what the heck am I doing working at a bank!? I’m still not too sure myself, but the opportunity presented itself and I wasn’t about to pass up something that could be huge for my future. So although I don’t fit the usual bank intern bill, they accepted me into the program all the same. My hope is to find a way to apply what I have been learning and am passionate about to the banking industry instead.

So needless to say my summer will be non-existent. The program lasts right up to the start of fall semester and is basically a full time (paid!!) job. This summer I’ll basically be working as a teller (we will see how that goes…) and if I do well and they want me to return for the second summer of the program I’ll be trained as a personal banker…but we are getting ahead of ourselves.