I thought it would be interesting to write about my final day at Press Office on my first day at my new internship. Well, in a way life got hectic right after I left and I can finally sit down and get a grip on everything.
The last day itself was not all that different. As a matter a fact, I can’t remember exactly what I did. I think I updated the sales database with stores that we could send mailings to for Bodkin, our eco-friendly brand designed by a former Teen Vogue employee. My Supervisor bought me lunch. I got a few “aww it’s your last day” comments. Everyone hugged me before I left. The PR Coordinator reminded me that she would be in Miami in July and everyone urged me to keep-in-touch. The Director said if I needed a reference letter or anything, one of us would be more then willing, but my Supervisor had already began one. And just like that the internship ended as quickly as it began.
Leaving New York was both gut-wrenching and liberating. I had accomplished a goal and a dream in one shot; to live in one of, if not the, most unique big city in the world and made a move that would ensure career prosperity. And I was right.
I arrived in South Florida on April 1st, interviewed for a hostess position the next day and was offered it on the spot. That extra bit of bartending and work I did “on the hustle part” in NY even paid off. The girl who could not even get a phone call back for even a serving or restaurant job now had to turn offers down. For $9 an hour, I would be working at Bulldog BBQ in North Miami Beach. The spot itself was open by former Top Chef contestant Howie. It had a contemporary but laid back feel. Though it was a bit of a drive from my house, it was a job in this economy and the best I’d seen so far.
On April 3rd I interviewed for a public relations internship with Nikki Beach Worldwide. They are a lifestyle-travel-and style company with hotels and lounges around the world.
(http://www.nikkibeach.com/) At my interview, they noted and asked about New York, studying abroad, my public relations research project, my volunteer work with MTV, and what I did with Cumulus. She loved the variety of my experience, the fact that I worked in fashion and especially in NY, and that I studied abroad. She even said, “I feel really good about this.” I REALLY WANTED THIS INTERNSHIP!! And…on April 6th I was offered the internship and became the only intern in the Nikki Beach Worldwide office (and after I saw how many people applied today, I realized how much my sacrifices had paid off). I saw the outgoing messages saying, “we are looking for someone with a little more experience” and remembered how I used to be at the receiving end of those denials. Now, I was the person with the experience. It was a bit surreal.
In closing, the bottom line is I did it! I had a vision, a dream if you will, and when the opportunity knocked I answered. I took a risk and even defied my parents at times, who now finally see how much this move made a difference in the progress of my future. Now I am with a global company who is bringing all their public relations in house, and I am the only intern there and was told that if I do well, there is a big possibility I will be part of the team when it does get there. I knew that I was capable; I just needed something to make me stand out, to get me over the hump, to “prove it.” It is an amazing feeling when you accomplish a long held goal and in it, feel and experience your sacrifices paying off. I have my own desk, my own extension, my own email and computer, hell I will even be on the Nikki Beach website as a contact! Today they even told me they felt like I had already been there for a month…the bottom line is, when opportunity knocks, open it. Only one fashion internship wrote me back of the twenty plus I applied to; just one. And had I not taken it, who knows when the next one would have come along…I would have always said “what if” if I let reason and logic overtake me. And I’m not saying thinking things through is not important, because it is, but the power of attraction, positive thinking, and visualization are incredible. YOU make things happens. You can’t expect positive things to happen if you are always focused on the negative. You can’t expect to land the job of your dreams if you don’t dig for it. And you cannot expect to get to the top unless you start at the bottom. Did it suck not getting paid? Yes. But it shows your will, it shows your determination, and it shows your humility. Did I get bored sometimes? Yes. Did I feel like some of the things I did were tedious? Yes. But did I show it? HELL NO I DIDN’T! And now, I actually have people asking for my opinion. That’s “the hustle part.” And the truth is you don’t deserve the gold until you’ve felt the gutter.
I think this quote sums it all up best…
“Believe that things happen for a reason. If you get the chance, take it. If your life changes, let it. No one said it would be easy, but they promised it would be worth it.”
Signing off for “ ‘The City’ on a Hustle.”
Coming up next, “From SoHo to SoBe”…look out world, LL is coming your way!!!!
<3
