Looking forward, looking back
by Sean Moran
Humans have words for everything. There’s chrysalism, the tranquil feeling of being inside during a thunderstorm, or vellichor, the wistful feeling experienced in used bookstores. But there is no word for that instant when you think back on some momentous point in your life and it feels simultaneously very recent and very, very long ago.
It was not so long ago (only a year) that I sat in a big office in New York, my name freshly printed on a security badge and my heart beating out of my chest as I embarked on a summer internship that would change the trajectory of my life? Here I was in the greatest city on Earth, the result of four years of hard work, ready to put my newly printed bachelor’s degree to use.
Today, in a similar office at Havas Health Plus, and now a copywriter, I was surrounded by five interns and feeling like I was staring into a mirror — a mirror that gave me this nameless feeling and made me take stock of my own summer internship and how it got me here.
New York draws people from all over the world with the promise of art, culture, and an experience unlike any other. For the interns at Havas Health Plus, I can only assume that this summer’s internship is one of those experiences, as only a few of them are from the city or nearby.
Some came from as far afield as California, Texas, and Ohio. Only one actually studied advertising, while others came from communications and marketing, each bringing a different mindset and outlook on creative problem-solving. There’s Alexi, the Project Management intern from New York City who studied at Kenyon College in Ohio; Raquelle from the University of Pennsylvania by way of Cincinnati, interning in our Strategy department; Account interns Mackenzie from the University of Mississippi and Alanna from the University of Wisconsin; and, Virginia, the Art intern and recent graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology.
What brought this motley crew from their far-flung schools to our agency? Perhaps it was their drive? I found each of them to be determined and quick, and they applied their quick wits and everything they’d learned in school to hit the ground running. Or, perhaps they wanted to be mentored in a creative and collaborative field like advertising? The Plus teaches as much as it creates. Maybe they knew about the work we do and wanted to make themselves part of the team.
More likely, they knew about all of these things — what we know as the three main tenets of purpose, agility, and performance — and realized that the Plus is not just another ad agency in New York. It’s a unique experience for everyone who spends time in this office.
As for me, the year since my summer internship has been less than ideal — but I learned. I learned exactly how small apartments in this city can be, and how random roommates are a bigger gamble than anything in a casino. But I also learned how to prepare for a killer interview, how to make a great Tweet, and how to be a better writer.
Like me, this summer’s interns have learned a lot as well. They learned everything that this city and this industry have to teach them. They learned about the world of healthcare communication and the work we do, as well as building professional relationships.
I would not wish my last year on the interns I worked with this summer, but I do wish for them a road that continually teaches them. wish for them a life of balance; balance between ambition and contentment, between steadiness and instability, between smart choices and fun diversions.
So that one day, either a long time from now or very soon, they may sit in a chair like mine and talk to their interns. And sit there amused at the strange duality in our lives.
