I was very lucky this summer. I was absolutely dreading being at home for two months. Coming back from abroad, what was I going to do? Sit around Katy for 2 months, where the only exciting attraction is the movie theatre (my personal sanctuary), with only two of my friends home? I was excited to see my family, of course, but what else was there to do? Luckily, an amazing internship made it all better. I mentioned last time that I would have plenty of time on my hands- not so! I arrived at work (40 minutes into Houston) at 8:30 every day, leaving before traffic at 4:30. Then gym time, skype time, dinner time and bed time! I had pretty full days! And now, all of a sudden, I’m taking a break from packing because I’m moving back to San Antonio tomorrow! Where did the time go??

My internship was an excellent experience. Heads up to all of you proactive prospective students, and other Trinity friends- I’ve got a great place for you to look for summer internships. Last summer I participated in the ExxonMobil Community Summer Jobs Program. This program runs in multiple states, including Texas in the Houston and Dallas/Fort Worth area. These internships are paid- $2500-positions within non-profit agencies. This summer was the first year of the Shell Non-Profit Internship Program, which is basically the exact same thing. Participating agencies range from health care organizations, to the Zoo, to parks, to social work. I originally found out about the ExxonMobil CSJP on the Trinity Career Services website, and heard about the new Shell Program through the coordinator Matt. My job this summer was working at Volunteer Houston, who coordinates both programs. My job specifically was to be the intern coordinator for the Shell program, as well as work on PR. I put together programs and a service project, and also visited the 19 other agencies to check on the intern. I loved learning about the different non-profits in Houston. The people who work in non-profits don’t do their jobs for the money. They do it because they love the work they do, and doing good in the community. I learned so much about non-profit management and PR work for the media. I highly recommend either of these two programs to anyone who is looking for a paid internship.
One of the most exciting things that happened this summer was my belated 21st birthday celebration. My dad always said he would take me to Las Vegas for my 21st, and he made good on his promise. The only days I could get off was surrounding the 4th of July weekend, so that’s when we went. We stayed at the Wynn Hotel, went to a different restaurant and show every night, and had a great time. The hotel is stunning- everywhere you go you feel inadequately dressed because everyone looks so fabulous. I’m not one really for gambling, although I do love playing Texas Hold’Em with my friends, but it’s Vegas- you have to! My dad taught me how to play blackjack at the tables (super low-stakes of course), but I discovered my hidden talent at 5 cent slots. I was racking up! Of course I figured this out a few days before we left, but I still gained a tidy little profit. We saw Mamma Mia! (bad acting, but still fun), Cirque du Soliel-La Rev (amazing), Penn & Teller (love them) and David Copperfield (what a pretentious jerk).

The only other crazy event of my summer was on my second day of work. I was driving to the office when 104.1’s morning DJs announced my favorite game, World Series of Pop Culture. I immediately called in to play, not even knowing what I was going to win. It turns out, it was for Studio 104 (private small studio) tickets to hear Lifehouse play! I love them!!! Miraculously, I was the second caller, and got on the air to play! If you see me in person, I’ll tell you all of the crazy details, but for now I’ll tell you all of my answers: Elizabeth Hurley, Sandra Bullock and Sean Penn. I WON!!! I was so incredibly excited, until I found out that the tickets were for lunch time THAT DAY! What do I do? It’s my second day of work! I went in and told my boss, who was pretty insanely cool, and told me I had to go! I took the other intern with me, and we went on to be serenaded by Lifehouse on our lunch hour. Pretty darn cool. They were absolutely brilliant, and pretty darn cute. Other than that, I saw the big movies- The Dark Knight (at midnight of course), Wall E, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, Get Smart, Mamma Mia (Ok, basically everything, I just can’t remember it all at the moment)and got to see some of my best friends.

Check the next post for my ode to Senior year! Guys, I can’t apologize enough for not updating all summer. I really have no excuses. Thank you all for reading!

LIFEHOUSE!!

Posted by Mandy at 3:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)