It’s been said that in order to be considered a true BU student, you have to spend at least one summer in Bing. This summer I’m doing just that.
While some people have plans to jet set around the world and study abroad in luxurious locales, I plan to spend my summer right here in good old Bing. Sure, as a SOM student I could’ve easily chosen to take the typical junior path and spend my summer in NYC interning at a Fortune 500 company. I’d network with corporate big wigs and learning the tricks of the trade, push paper and fetch coffee all day. I also could’ve gone back to my hometown and found a job in retail dealing with rude customers all day but I did that last summer and trust me, I never want to do that again.
This summer I’m going to be an Orientation Advisor. Remember that super friendly smiling face you met when you came to your Freshmen Orientation? That’ll be me. In my time spent at Binghamton, I have found a passion for all things college. During the school year, I work for the Student Ambassadors Program, a student run admissions organization. Over time, I have grown to love my work and the opportunities I have to meet with prospective students and their families. As I get older, my high school self becomes more distant and I forget what it’s like to be placed with the daunting task of choosing a college. As an ambassador, I try my hardest to make that selection as a worry-free, stress-free and hassle-free as possible. Becoming a summer Orientation Advisor just seemed to be the next logical step in the work I already do.
Now don’t get me wrong, I would have loved to work in the city for the summer. I applied to many internships and had a few interviews but I realized I was just following protocol. A lot of my SOM counterparts questioned why I wouldn’t want to gain experience in corporate America. I got funny looks and strange remarks from professors and peers alike who all didn’t understand why I wouldn’t want to spend what some might say is the most important summer of college in the big city. My answer is simple, Binghamton has been my home for the past three years, no matter how bad the weather may be at times or how boring the town might be, I have grown to love this quaint little city and I’m overjoyed to be spending my summer sharing that my BU Pride with each and every freshmen that walks this campus.