To most of you, I am writing this blog post at 9:31 pm. But for me, it is 6:31 pm and the sun has just set over a cool and overcast Los Angeles Sunday. I arrived in the City of Angels yesterday evening, at long last commencing my time as a part of the Penn State Hollywood Program. I will be here for the entirety of the spring semester working, taking classes, and soaking in the west coast experience while (hopefully) learning a lot about myself along the way.
The past couple of days have brought with them a fully mixed bag of emotions. I spent last week at State College as my friends and roommates began their spring semester classes and I made the most of my last days before moving thousands of miles away. I was so happy to have this time, but it made it so much harder to leave. As I hugged some of the people that I love most in the world knowing that it would be a spring AND a summer before I see many of them again, I couldn’t help but feel so sad and envious that I would be missing out on a semester of memories. But at the same time, driving to the airport and boarding the plane to LA with my close friend, Christina, revved up my emotions and replaced some of the melancholy in my stomach with excitement and wonder and eager anticipation for an extremely pivotal time in my life.
I am already so appreciative of the warm weather here, and on Tuesday I have my orientation for my upcoming internship in the creative marketing department at Disney Channel. I will be working full-time for the network that utterly defined my childhood, producing shows that I was raised on and that I will cherish forever. I cannot wait to meet my supervisor and my fellow interns and get started on tasks and projects that will hopefully help to shape young minds in the way they shaped me. Each career experience I have during my time in college has been highly instrumental in clearing my path for the future; in allowing me to see what I could and could not envision doing with my life. I know that my talents lie in creative communication, and I want to use these talents to change lives or at the very least cause the tiniest positive ripple in the universe. I am so fortunate to have had these experiences – everything from my time hostessing at a Greek restaurant a few summers ago to now working at the largest media company in the world – and they have challenged me and thrilled me in so many ways.
I try to look for the thrills life has to offer in everything that I do. I can’t wait to report back over the coming weeks, hopefully with good news. Something tells that I’m in for something good!
