Why Cleveland? You’re going where? Why?
That was every question asked, every question I left unanswered with a reserved “I don’t know.” It was an honest answer, because I actually didn’t.
Most people didn’t mean any harm, and they were valid questions. However, considering that I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and go to school in Upstate New York, I admit it doesn’t make a lot of sense. Five weeks later into my internship, choosing Cleveland still might not make complete sense, but it doesn’t need to. I am enjoying my time here and don’t regret a thing.
For a good part of this week I was back home, visiting friends at my university. All of those questions in the beginning came up again. How’s Cleveland? Is there a lot to do? Surprisingly, I have a lot more to say. All the “I don’t knows” have turned into real concrete things. I’ve been going to Indians games, to the Cleveland Museum of Modern Art, to a concert at Blossom, and a whole lot more.
I’m not going to lie and say that I love everything about my time in Cleveland. It’s sometimes a little too hot for me and God knows that I will still fight anyone who trash talks the Golden State Warriors. (Remember all those 3-1 chants? Well, that’s currently the record we have against you in the Finals.) Cleveland may have not won another championship, but I admit that it managed to win me over because this city has a lot more to offer than I thought.
As for Flashstarts…the work, the environment, the people all… it all makes sense. By that, I mean that my decision to intern here has allowed me to grow and learn in the past five weeks. I am working as a Business Development Intern but am learning skills in various fields that I never expected to.
As for the actual day to day job, that makes much less sense. How many places can you work on financial models and market research in one minute and then play ping pong or mess around with pool noodles with twenty plus other interns the next? That’s the part of Flashstarts that doesn’t make sense…but it’s the best part. Being able to go from making presentations on Powerpoint or writing up a summary in Word to racing saddle chairs around the office is a weird thing. But it’s also a good thing.
For the future Flashstarts interns, I have three pieces of advice that all have a bit of a basketball twist: trust the process, do whatever it takes, and know that you have strength in numbers.
Trust the process. Not many things about this internship will feel right in the beginning. No one is hovering over you, you sometimes get directions without follow up, and there will be days you feel like you didn’t do anything. But after everything’s been said and done, you will learn a lot in the most unconventional ways.
Like the Cleveland Cavaliers, do whatever it takes because you’ll need a certain amount of initiative to get the most out of this internship. The more you put yourself out there and the more you seek out projects, the greater your experience will be.
Have strength in numbers. This is probably my favorite one. No, not just because it’s my team’s slogan. The best thing about Flashstarts is the people you’re around. There’s something to be said about enjoying coming into work everyday and looking forward to seeing the people around you. Cling to those people and learn from them.
I came into Flashstarts only knowing one friend from my university. Now, I’m not only a lot closer with that friend but have also met many more great people.
Most importantly, be open to everything. While I was initially skeptical of how my experience would be, I met Cleveland half way, and it paid dividends. Five weeks gone, five more to go. Even though I never expected to feel this way, I’m looking forward to the rest of the summer.
John is a Political Science major at Colgate University. He currently works as a Business Development Intern at Flashstarts.
