It is all coming to an end. The summer is winding down and the final days of the internship are approaching. I cannot tell if I am in denial or if the reality just has not hit me yet. This summer has been amazing and full of many new experiences for me.
My internship flew by way too fast. I absolutely love my job and the people that I work with. My office was friendly, inviting, and helpful. I have learned so much about the corporate retail world, on both the buying and planning sides. It is always hard to say good-bye to co-workers and bosses, because it is hard to explain how much I appreciate them helping me throughout the internship process.
It is with all of the guidance and help of my bosses and the co-workers in my office that I was able to learn so much so quickly and I was able to convey that through my final project that I completed. I am going to miss them all a lot. Over the past ten weeks, I have developed a professional relationship with everyone on my team, and in some cases, even friendships.
I am going to miss having food days on Fridays to celebrate random (but, of course well-deserved) occasions. I am going to miss the inside jokes that we share. I am also going to miss multiple Channing Tatum movie nights accompanied by dinner and drinks with my best friend in the office, my analyst. But most of all I am going to miss the wonderful atmosphere of all of the personalities that surround me at work.
As much as I love my office, I love my fellow interns just as much. This summer, we were put up in the UW-Milwaukee dorms. Having the majority of 180 interns all living in the same building was phenomenal. I met so many new friends from so many different schools that all interned in different departments here at corporate.
We had so many great together. Whether it was karaoke night at Replay, Thursday nights at RC’s, or spending our weekends on Water (both the street and on boats), I know I will never forget the amazing people that I interned with. Especially my roommate, with whom I shared many amazing days and nights exploring the city that could possibly be our newest home.
Luckily for us interns, we all are going back to college. This being said, even though I will miss being so close to all of my intern friends, I know there will be many road-trips occurring throughout this school year. Tailgates, birthdays, event weeks, I have no doubt in my mind that I will be seeing these people again at some point before next summer. Hopefully, next summer we will all be reunited back in Milwaukee.
As for the people I met here in Milwaukee outside of my office (or outside of work, in general) are some of the nicest and most fun people I have met this summer. A Fourth of July boat cruise, a Brantley Gilbert concert, and a relaxing, lazy Sunday all happened because of these newfound friendships.
Who would have thought that you could meet someone out and six weeks later you still talk every day? Not me. I am so glad that I took every advantage to go out in Milwaukee and socialize. It will be hard to say good-bye to all of you, but I know a few of you will come visit me at Purdue. I’ll welcome you with loving, breakfast-clubbing, tailgating arms.
Besides my internship, I was given the opportunity to be a Contributing Blogger on Her Campus for the summer. I never thought that writing for the Purdue chapter would result in me one day writing for the national page. I am so lucky.
To all of my intern readers (and my crazy, amazing family who reads my articles religiously), I thank you for your readership. I hope that some of this helped you out along the way, or gave you some form of enjoyment. It has been a pleasure sharing my experiences with you every week.
Remember, good-byes do not have to be a forever thing; they can always be a temporary “see you later”-thing if you want them to be. Tell the friends and all of the people you meet throughout your internship how much you enjoyed your time with them. Reach out. Make plans to visit each other. Road trips in college are a must! This might be the end of your internship, but it does not have to be the end of the relationships you have formed throughout the process.
Enjoy the rest of summer, collegiettes!
HCxo,
Leta