After a long-term relationship ended, Amelia Burns packed her bags for a weeklong escape to Chicago that would eventually turn into the summer adventure of a lifetime.
Burns a junior, journalism major, is a sister of Phi Sigma Sigma, a Panhellenic PR Chair, Director of Marketing for Student Activists Against Sexual Assault (SAASA), and a College Fashionista campus representative.
As a dedicated, involved student, Burns managed to land an incredible, competitive internship opportunity as a PR intern for the Pennsylvania Democratic Party.
“I was going to be running social media at the convention and meeting a lot of people throughout the summer,” Burns said.
However, after a breakup left her blindsided, Burns knew she needed a change of scenery, which meant leaving behind her job at a local coffee shop at her internship with the Pennsylvania Democratic Party behind.
“I struggled a lot with giving that up, but I just knew my heart couldn’t be in it right now and that wouldn’t be fair to anyone,” Burns said.
Burns made the decision to move to the “Windy City” on her last day of finals, leaving her with roughly two weeks to pack, say her goodbyes, and quit her commitments for the summer.
While the decision to move to Chicago was a bold, brave one, Burns was still left with some reservations regarding her trip. She was called “crazy” and “dramatic” by some, and felt the only people who truly understood her decision at the time were her mom and her sorority and fraternity big sister and big brother.
“I felt the universe looking out for me,” Burns said. “I eventually just decided that I was only going to tell my close friends/family in person and everyone else would just find out. That’s what inspired my blogpost that I posted the day that I left. And as soon as I pulled up to my new apartment in Chicago, I knew I made the right decision. “
Just like that, a spur of the moment decision to move to a new place opened up a world of opportunity for Burns, and gave her a summer filled with things she loved.
“I had an amazing group of friends around me who were living life the same way,” Burns said. “I worked on film projects, photo shoots, traveled throughout Chicago, continued my blogging, spent a lot of time by water. I somehow managed to land my dream internship at a fashion & lifestyle tv network based in the heart of Chicago. Everything was new and nobody cared about my breakup and suddenly neither did I.”
During her first week of her dream internship, Burns received a piece of advice from her new boss that resonated with her on a whole new level.
“When I told her, she looked me dead in the eyes and said, ‘You’ll get over it. And I wish someone had told me that,’ Burns said. “And that was the last she said about it. She was the only person who actually said something like that to me. She was right and I’m never going to forget how real that advice is.”
Moving forward, Burns plans to use her experience in Chicago to continue learning how to trust her gut, and not depend on anyone else. As for the future, Burns is keeping her career wide open and has a million different goals for herself. To put it simply, she wants to continue doing what she loves, unapologetically.
“As long as my life doesn’t feel boring to anyone that’s enough for me,” Burns said.