Reflection Journal Entries

Sept 9-15

               I moved in on the 21^st of August, so at this point in the experience I have been busy with getting ready for my class, internship, and service learning program.  It has been great to have time to explore the city and try new things before our internships start.  So far I have been sticking to the sides of the other Loras students that have also chose to participate in this experience. 

                It has been a real eye opener and has been an adjustment from the lifestyle I have become used to.  I have been in Chicago before, but actually getting in the mindset that I will be here for more than a weekend getaway has been interesting.  I would have to say that the hardest thing to get used to is the constant noise; day and night.  Granted, Dubuque does have its moments, but never was I kept awake due to fire/police sirens. 

                After the long nights of tossing and turning,  I would wake up and take to the city.  I spent a lot of time with Roosevelt Freshmen exploring the city using the subway system.  Even though we try to act like we know what we are doing, but I am sure that the fact that we are constantly using the GPS on our phones gives us away! 

                I would have to say that so far into this experience we are just learning and picking up on the culture of the city, adjusting to the hustle and bustle of the people in the city, and tasting the wide array of food not offered anywhere else, (especially Chicago deep dish pizza.) I think that in this week alone I have grown a lot in the fact that I have been exposed to so many things that I had never been before, and it is changing me and allowing me to understand what sort of options I could have after college.  I am constantly comparing Chicago to Dubuque, or even Elkader, and it is forcing me to think about my future in a way I haven’t before.  Through this experience I hope to gain insight into what sort of career path I could one day see myself pursuing.

Sept 16-22

             I have always been taught to not judge people, but I have always been the biggest judge on myself.  I have always been the one to keep quiet and to not disturb other people.  Self-confidence has always been an issue, and I always struggle to make friends right away. So coming into this program was a huge step for me, it was pretty far out from my comfort zone. I was after all leaving the people who I was already comfortable with and joining a smaller group of people I barely knew. 

            I suppose the main reason I keep to myself is because I am always afraid that people aren’t going to like me, so I don’t give them a reason to find out.  This is going to be my biggest obstacle, and brings me to a goal I would like to reach.  I would like to become comfortable enough to speak up with ideas, questions, and concerns throughout this experience. Whether it be in class, or in my internship to those higher in rank than me. 

            So far, at the end of my first week at my internship, I can feel myself getting more and more comfortable asking questions.  It helps that I have a fantastic mentors at work, she has been a huge help and she helps me see things in a way that I haven’t before.  Between Andrea, my mentor, and David, the lead sales director, I have started to realize how communication can make or break a person.  David has shared so many unique stories with me that have helped me to see that without exceptional communication, it is hard to make lasting contacts.  Making contacts is what David does for Bon Appetit Magazine, it has been wonderful to see him at work and to be exposed to career that I haven’t really seen before.

Sept. 23-29

            This week was brutally chaotic and I often found myself having a hard time keeping up.  I found it extremely stressful in the fact that I joined the team near the end of a giant project, so I had to go back and learn important information and names that had been discussed months ago.  As challenging as I thought this week was for me, I found it to be the best case senario in the fact that I was forced to learn so much in so little time.  I never thought that assisting someone in a sales position could be so challenging. 

            The project that the team had been working on was for Chicago Gourmet, a 3-day event that takes place in Millenium Park.  Chicago Gourmet sounded fantastic, but with tickets costing nearly $200 a pop, I knew I wouldn't be able to enjoy the event and all it had to offer. 

           Little did I know, that on Saturday afternoon I received a call stating that there was an extra ticket that was mine if I wanted it.  I jumped at the opportunity and graciouly accepted the offer.  At that point I already knew my Aunt was going to the event so I joined her and her friend.  I had no idea what to expect, we started at the gates where I tickets were taken and we were given a goodie bag and a wine glass.  I was getting so excited! 
              Inside the venue there were many booths that were owned by high-class Chicago restaurants that were giving out free sample of a dish or two.  I had never been exposed to such high quality food before given the fact that I can't afford to shell out that kind of money on a meal. My favorite dish would have to have been the shrimp cocktail or the lobster roll.  I love seafood, but it is usually the most expensive thing on the menu.  Besides eating delicious food, we were also exposed to sample of many different quality wines.  I don't typically drink wine, but I couldn't say no to the opportunity to try quality wine with my aunt.   I was in heaven with free wine, beef, and desserts; I even got to take a picture with two people from my families favorite show, Top Chef. 
              Even with the large amounts of food that we were exposed to, there were also opportunities to certain sweepstakes. I signed up for every single one, so lets hope that I win something!  We spent over four hours at the venue, which should give everyone a better idea as to how large this event was. 

            That day marked the best day I have had so far while in Chicago.  I got to try new foods, wines, and I even made some amazing friends that I am sure I will get in touch with throughout my time here.  I couldn't be more thankful to have been given the opportunity to witness something so amazing! 

Sept 30 

           I started my internship in the middle of three big projects, so it has been really chaotic.  I have come to see through experience and through dialog with others, that the whole team is expected to do a lot; especially since we are working in a branch from New York.  Often times I feel bad about how much stress this poses on David and Jenna.  With one wrong number or not enough information, they can get reamed.  I actually sat in on a meeting with people from the NY and Chicago offices.  After the meeting, both Jenna and David commented on how fun and personable the NY representatives seemed to be, but come their reviews, those same people are going mean and ruthless.  

           I have seen first hand how much time and effort these people put into their work, so it is hard to understand how the NY team can be so under appreciative.  My aunt and I were talking about this one day and she told me that their pay is a reflection of their stress level.  

           If I could, I would have changed my start date for this internship. Like I said, I started in the middle of three major projects, so it has been a zoo since I started.  It would have been nice to start near the beginning of the projects so I could have been on the same page instead of some step back each time.  

           At the same time, being put into that environment has forced me to learn about the business a lot faster than it would have working during a lull.  Working with Andrea has been great, so having her as my mentor over anyone else is something I would keep the same, as well as my work load.  I am constantly busy each day I am at work, and the things I do I feel are appreciated by everyone on the team.  I couldn't have picked a better team to be a part of.         

October 7-13

            This experience has obviously contradicted my academic knowledge and training in the sense that I am working in a field that I haven't even studied: Sales and Advertisement.  The classes I have been taking require me to use my creativity in both studio art using computers in graphic design. So until this experience the only experience in advertisement was in designing an ad.

            I think this experience has been great for me, especially since I have been questioning my choice to even work in the graphic design field after graduation.  It has been so nice not to have to work on a single design project this semester, I just needed to try something new.  This is the sole reason that I haven't been uncomfortable with working in this industry so far.  Yeah, for the first few weeks I have had to play catch-up in learning the things that people studying advertisement and sales would already know.  I have been very fortunate to have a mentor so patient and willing to teach me a long the way.  I can honestly say that I have learned more about the work force and myself in participating in this experence.

October 14-20

         I have learned a lot about this experience, especially about the environment around me.  Chicago is huge, we are exposed to many different cultures, people, beliefs, and opportunities.  It is easy to see how lucky each and everyone of us are especially when we see people living on the streets.  It saddens me to notice how everyone, including myself, walk by without making eye contact. 

          I didn't really notice how much I missed home until Homecoming weekend.  Living here in the city has given me so much more appreciation for where I came from.  I got to ride in the tractor with my dad, and I got to spent time with my mom at work.  Homecoming weekend also showed me how much I have grown as a person.  My friends seemed to interact with me differently because they have grown together while I have been away. It was strange to feel like an outsider in the community where I once felt so comfortable.  I have been noticing that I have become ready for the transition after college and that I am ready for my next step after Loras. 

          Needless to say, without this experience I will still be stuck in a rut at college, working on graphic design projects that I dreaded, hanging out with people I knew would be leaving me following graduation. I have been pushed to experience a world I never would have dreamed about, and have gained new insights into my future.

Oct 21-28

         In all honesty, I think that I was expecting to like living here in the city more.  I was so excited to come here, I actually thought that I would love it enough to consider living here after it was all said and done. 

         I guess I feel a little disappointed in the fact that it isn't the case.  As much as I like certain parts of the city, it's hard for me to fully embrace it.  I like that there is always something to do and that everything is open later at night as well as the amazing food I have gotten to try.  However, the city gets on my nerves more than what I can take.  I absolutely hate how everyday I get stopped several times by Non-Profits asking for donations, and it is hard for me to accept that if I lived here I would have to feel trapped.  As large as this city is, it is easy to have the feeling of
Claustrophobia even on the open streets.  Every morning I ride the red line to work and every day the subway is crammed full of people; same goes for elevators. 

          I do appreciate the fact that I took this leap in order to find that out, and I have enjoyed my time here thus far in the experience.  I think that this experience has done it's job in teaching me about myself and helping me into pointing me into the right direction for my life.

 Oct 29-Nov 4

        This process has been extremely difficult in many different aspects.  First off, I have never been exposed to a city setting before.  When I moved to Dubuque for college, I thought it was huge!  I really thought I was living in the city.  Obviously that wasn't the case; coming back from Chicago, Dubuque seems so small.  It will be an adjustment coming back thats for sure.  It will be an easy one, especially being able to sleep without constant noise will be  nice and to be able to move at my pace and not stuck in a crowd of people. 

       Secondly, I see myself being challenged everyday with knowledge of the business because I never studied anything but communication and design.  I am able to pick things up real quick though, which makes working here beneficial to my future.  One project that I fell like I have struggled at would be creating a spreadsheet of all of the RFPs, brand info, and digital use for Jenna.  First of all RFPs are really hard to understand and secondly each company has their own version of an RFP.  In order to work things out, I made the spreadsheet with my knowledge and ability to pick out information in hopes that I would be right.  After that I sent the first version to Andrea to look over, from there I made the corrections that she suggested and went back through ever single RFP an made sure I had all the information I could get into the spreadsheet.  Again I sent it to Andrea and she approved.  I am meeting with Jenna to go over the information tomorrow, so fingers crossed that everything looks good. 

Nov 5- 11

         I am really excited to have this internship under my belt and on my resume.  The reason I chose this internship over the non-profits I was offered was because of it's identity.  It is a world known company with a multitude of followers.  Conde Nast  publishes many different magazines, not just Bon Appetit.  There are magazines such as Allure, Self, Brides, Lucky, Vouge, Teen Vouge, Wired and so many more. 

This internship consisted of:

* Creating and maintaining client, product, and sales spreadsheets

* Meeting preparations and set up

* Conducting customer call-backs

* Creating travel itineraries for business trips

Nov 12-18

Throughout this internship I have come to realize that people expect a lot out of you.  I have noticed that people are expecting you to go above and beyond what is asked.  I think that is a good quality to pick up on and I think that it is going to be attractive to future employers to know that everything is going to be taken care of and that you can be on the same wave lenght.  My boss David lives by the montra, "good, better, best." Doing what you are told is good.  Hitting all possible questions and problems is better.  Doing what is told, hitting all possible questions and problems, and going the extra mile to make files and projects stand out is best.  I have spent this semester moving up the ladder and improving myself as an employee.

Nov 19-25

Thanksgiving break is coming up and I am super excited to go home and see my friends and family!  I feel like I have missed out on so much while being here it will be nice to catch up. 

I left Chicago on the 22nd with my Aunt and Uncle.  Needless to say we had quite the adventure.  We used a GPS (I don't really know why) but it took us a weird route, which ended up making for a fun ride.  Before we left though my uncle took me on a tour of the Jim Beam offices in Deerfield.  It was so unique and different.  They had two bars/lounges and the creative department had an outstanding office area. 

My week at home was so much fun.  I got to hang with my parents, siblings and friends.  I went to the fields and shot guns with my dad, I didn't hit one can, and I went black Friday shopping with my mom.  The best part of the whole break though was when we brought two new puppies home!  Our 12 year old dog wasn't too happy at first, but I think she is going to come around. 

It is weird to think that once I go back to Chicago, I will only have two weeks left.  I think I am ready to go back home, but I am definitely going to miss the style I have picked up here.  I will also miss my aunt and uncle.  This was a great opportunity to get to know each other better, and it will be hard to leave them. 

Dec 2- 8

I think this internship experience was the best thing for me in moving forward after college.  I have learned many things throughout the semester about myself and about excelling in the work place.  I think the biggest thing I have learned was that it's not always about just getting the work done, it's about getting it done and standing out.  If you do work that stands out, even if it is just a spreadsheet, people are going to take notice and remember that. 

A lesson about myself would be that I now know that I can handle city life, and could possible live in one, one day.  Although throughout this experience I have missed my family a lot, it was good for me to be away.  This is the furthest/longest I have been away from them.  So it was an adjustment for both parties.