I have lived, and only lived, in Pennsylvania my whole life. I was born twenty minutes away from my house, moved to another house twenty minutes away from that house, went to high school twenty minutes away from my home. I then went to college five hours away, but at a school twenty minutes away from my grandparents. My life is, with one exception, a twenty minute radius from one place to the next. This summer, however, I am making the journey to Sandusky, Ohio which is seven hours from my home. I will be an intern at Cedar Point working as a Guest Service and Event Management intern.
Though, I have been told there isn’t much to do there except explore the park I am beyond thrilled for this summer. I am excited to get away. As I mentioned my life has been pretty expected, twenty minutes from here to there.
For those who do not know, Sandusky, Ohio, home to the famous amusement park Cedar Point is on a peninsula and surrounded by Lake Erie. As a native Philly girl, who lives on the western side of the state, I have heard all about the Lake Erie “beaches.” Though I am sure it will not compare to the wildness of the Jersey shore, I am excited to try something new! At home, in Delaware County, PA, I live about two hours from the beach and am in walking distance to measly creeks and rivers, so the prospect of living on a peninsula surrounded by water is very exciting.
(Photo by Cédric Dhaenens on Unsplash)
Part of the adventure of moving away this summer, is the prospect of meeting new people! I love my job at home where I work at the YMCA, but I have been there for five years and it is time for a new scene with new peers. As a hospitality management major, I love working and meeting new people so this is right up my ally. Also, as a young person this provides me an excellent opportunity to meet other young people in my profession and gives me the chance to network.
(Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash)
Most of all, I am just looking forward to learning. While I have worked in guest service and guest management before, I have not worked in the amusement park industry. I want to learn all I can. My mindset is that from every situation there is a learning opportunity to be had. I think the most interesting part will be learning how Cedar Point manages the influx of guests’ every day and how they adapt and meet their needs. As dorky as it sounds, I am also excited for their on-boarding program. One of my classes I really enjoyed was Human Resources and on-boarding. As a seasonal facility and one of the largest amusement parks in the country, they are experts in on-boarding new employees in a quick and efficient manner.
I think that as a young people we should take every opportunity possible to stretch ourselves outside of our comfort zones and gain new experiences. When we are in college is the perfect time to do so. If you are nervous about moving away and starting a new job or internship or co-op, as I am at times, just think about all you have to gain from this new experience.
(Photo by Simon Migaj on Unsplash)