Farewell, Aqueduct

Aqueduct Interns, Summer 2012!

Last day of work today felt so unreal.  To summarize my experience, here's the final e-mail I sent to my mentor.  Already missing everyone!

Interning at Aqueduct has been much like trying out a new, obscure restaurant you found on Yelp.  You’ve been anticipating it, having looked at the website and everything, but when you actually arrive you’re unsure of how to handle yourself.  Where do you sit?  Is someone going to come talk to you?   Where are the toilets?  What happens when you go to the toilet and get locked out and have no way of contacting anyone?  The common questions everyone asks themselves, I'm sure.  

With that being said, if Aqueduct was a restaurant I could review on Yelp, I would definitely recommend it to all my friends.  I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here, and though it has been short, I walk away with much knowledge gained.  One of my favorite things about coming into the office (beside competitive ping pong matches working as my background music) was knowing that my hundreds of powerpoint slides have/had a purpose in life.  I never received any “busy work,” nothing that seemed boring and purposeless.  I really appreciate all the time that was put into individually assigning all of the interns tasks despite the un-human schedule Aqueduct seems to run on.  I remember talking to you about my interest in charity work/marketing during my phone interview, and I feel like that interest of mine was catered to through the assignments I received through Age Scotland and London Cancer. It was great seeing my work contribute to someone else’s and be part of a bigger process, a source of much joy and pride for me.  I imagine that’s what seeing your child grow up and graduate feels like, only perhaps there will be more tears.

I very much enjoyed the work environment as well.  It wasn’t awkward talking to others, and it wasn’t awkward not talking to others.  Everyone maintains a very genuine, organic feel, which allowed me to feel right at home in a matter of weeks.  Some of my favorite moments have been random run-ins at the kitchen accompanied by small chats here and there (my other favorite moment was getting a ping pong balled kicked into my face – danger in the workplace!).

In light of my previous paragraph, working more with others or even the other interns is something I would have liked to do.  It would have been great to collaborate with another intern for a project, or perhaps brainstorm different ideas with them.  The people in this office cover a wide variety of skills, and I would have very much enjoyed getting more of an insight as to what people do here.  While everyone was very friendly and kind, I felt disconnected at times because I had no idea what everyone else was doing, who was involved with which accounts, etc.  The individualization of projects definitely gave me more ownership over my work, but I think it would have been beneficial to talk over projects with some of the other interns. 

Also, even though I feel like a whiny child saying this, I would have really enjoyed more time talking with you.  One of the best ways to learn (I think) is to hear from other people who have gone before you, who have that extra experience that you lack.  Aqueduct puts out some really exceptional work, and I would have loved to hear from you about how the company has changed, has evolved, or how it is growing.  However, I don't mean to sound unappreciative. I know both of you are very busy, and I already feel like you donated a generous portion of your schedule to us.  If there is ever a clone machine in the works, I will definitely recommend you or Mario Balotelli as the first test subjects.  Both of you would make for some exciting/terrifying clones (just kidding, you're not terrifying)!

Thank you so much for everything!  I am very grateful for your guidance and mentorship these past six weeks.

Sincerely,

Deandra