As I boarded the elevator and rise to the 43rd floor of 180 N Stetson Avenue on June 4, I remember wondering earlier in the year where I would be during the summer. In late April, I felt defeated and unsure if any company would take a chance on me after countless rejections. I never imagined that I would be interning in one of my favorite cities doing projects I love to do. Before I opened the doors to the office, I told myself: I can’t believe I get to intern with BET Networks.
At the beginning of my junior year of college, I was determined to secure an internship. Two summers had drifted by, and I still hadn’t received the experience I hoped to obtain throughout my years as an undergraduate student. I was shooting out job applications at the speed of light. Even while I studied abroad during the first semester of my junior year, I worked diligently to find summer positions. Nothing showed promise, until I opened my email in late January. I received an email from an Apple recruiter hoping to interview me for their Original Content team in LA. All I could think was: Me? I don’t even remember sending this application out!
Although imposter syndrome was kicking in, I willed it away, declaring that this would be my internship. I just knew that this was a sign from God, showing me that all my work and all the support I received from my friends and family would finally come to fruition. After three interviews and constantly speaking success into existence, I opened the final email that would tell me if I received the internship or not.
When I didn’t get the position, I felt overwhelmingly hurt. Hoping to channel my energy into something positive, I made a video about the pains of being rejected to encourage others to keep pushing professionally. The project, however, gave me the energy to continue applying to several other internships, one of which was the Louis Carr Internship Foundation. The program gives away 12 paid internships to students studying advertising, media, and marketing. A friend who had completed the internship before referred me to the program, and I applied with high hopes. Soon after applying, I had an interview, and the following Friday, I received an email offering me the job! When the foundation informed me that I would be working with BET Networks, I was ecstatic. I could not believe how quickly my rejection led me to an acceptance.
At BET Networks, I did projects ranging from research on different agencies to the consumer behavior of the African American buying market. I had the opportunity to give several professional pitches to not only the entire Account Executive Staff, but also to Louis Carr himself, the President of Media Sales. What I loved the most about my experience was getting a better understanding of the entertainment industry by realizing how people consume content, learning why certain programs are aired, and getting a sneak peak of BET’s new programming partnerships (P.S. NO MORE BABY BOY MARATHONS! WOOHOO). In addition, the video I had created earlier that year about rejection was shown to Michelle Thornton Ghee, the Senior Vice President of BET Networks, the face of Bet Her, and an advocate of female empowerment. She is truly goals! After watching my video, she allowed me to interview her for an additional video!
I write this as my own personal testimony. What I had planned, was not what I believe God intended for me. If you don’t believe in God, think of it like this: When one door closes, others will open. Instead of trying to pry a closed door ajar, open your eyes to see that there are other doors open for you to walk through. Being stagnant or inflexible will hinder you from anything you hope to be possible. For some people, an internship or job may have kept them from developing their own businesses or brands. Remember, having an internship or job isn’t everything. #Bagszn can mean a lot of different things. Like my favorite Meet the Robinson’squote, “you have to keep moving forward!”
P.S. Remember, that whatever you accomplish, no one can take it away from you. You have the right to be proud of yourself without being big-headed. Kiss imposter syndrome good-bye!