I felt like a giddy, excited freshman again as I drove onto Emory’s campus to begin my summer internship. A brand-new campus. New faces. A new chapter of life: the real world. You’re probably asking yourself why Emory is a new place for me. No, I did not graduate from Emory, but I will tell you how I got here.

Being a recent college graduate of Samford University in these horrendous economic times has its pros and cons. I got some much needed time to myself devoid of rigorous coursework. It consisted of attempting to unpack and organize my entire life from four years of college (I know that does not sound appealing, but it must get done or else I will face continuous parental nagging).

The security blanket, also known as college, is now lacking. No more scheduling classes to start at 1:00 p.m. every day so I can stay up late and sleep in, no monthly allowance from my parents, and last and DEFINITELY least, no continual flow of income.

College. Check.

What now?

Yes … the job search began. It became a job in itself. I applied for every marketing, sales, and communication job under the sun. My overenthusiastic mother sent me job leads until my mailbox could not hold any more e-mails. I was going crazy. I dug deep and veered away from careerbuilder and monster.com. That’s when I thought of Emory.

My parents, uncle, and aunt are all Emory alumni, so I obtained basic information about this flourishing institution. I did some research and discovered their summer internship program. Since I was a communication studies major with some marketing experience, I enthusiastically applied for the EAA internship dealing with communications.

I got the invite to interview. I put on my game face and my best pair of “work shoes” so I could make a lasting impression. After interviewing at the charming, elegant Miller-Ward Alumni House (MWAH) with Eric Rangus, director of communications, and Kelley Quinn 08B, coordinator of leadership development, I knew I wanted to work here because of their genuine interest in me and my qualifications and because of the amazing job description.

In the end, all the blood, sweat, and tears from searching high and low for a job paid off. I was offered the internship! (Insert cheering and clapping here). I embraced this blessing with satisfaction and happiness. I truly know this summer will offer experience in the workforce—more specifically—the marketing and communications field.

I am ecstatic because I intern at one of the most prestigious universities in the country complete with leather-clad textbooks, a wide variety of majors and minors, and the coolest people in the world, of course!

-- Farah Shackelford, communications intern, EAA