Every experience is an opportunity to learn—it’s one of the first things young professionals discover. With only 3 weeks left to go, JWT New York interns are busy learning as much as they can. Whether it’s projects, outreach, or impromptu opportunities to shadow, our interns are busy jumping into new challenges and sharing their great ideas alongside teams. When we last chatted with interns Katie and Rachael, they told us about some of the exciting projects they were working on. Meet us after the jump to find out the latest!
It is wild how fast my internship is flying by! I’m heading into the last third and yet, feel as though there is still much to absorb. My father preached to me as he dropped me off on the train, “Be a sponge—always pay attention and offer your assistance to anyone and everyone. Be positive and don’t forget that professionals drink a lot of coffee.” So, I send my fair share of “Can I lend a hand?” emails, write up call reports for each meeting to stay on track, and frequent the coffee shops nearby.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve experienced the variability in the account management schedule. Some days, finding time for lunch is hard to come by and during others, it is the main event of the afternoon. This job definitely keeps me on my toes—I’m never quite sure what to expect when I first sit down at my desk. Just this morning, I asked one of my nearby coworkers if I could assist him with anything. Thinking for a moment, he then invited me to piggyback on his new business pitch that will take place over the next three weeks! Stay tuned for updates on what I learn from a new business pitch!
— Katie D’Andrea, Account Management Intern
On the morning of July 25th, a group of 11 interns, along with two JWT employees from Human Resources, Charae Warner and Danielle Weiner, went down to the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) in the Bronx.
This 8:30am excursion was intended to allow us to do some meaningful community service, but resulted in so much more. It developed into an eye opening experience and a new found appreciation for fresh produce. We learned that 26% of the community we were helping lived at or below the poverty line. Let me start from the beginning.
Once we arrived in the NYCHA parking lot, we saw the green City Harvest tents that marked the location and creator of the mobile market. The mobile market is a fresh produce market intended for those in financial need. The produce is free for anyone that lives in the area and qualifies financially. A combined total of almost 24,000 pounds of apples, carrots, corn, sweet potatoes and white potatoes were distributed between nearly 575 people that came through the market.
I helped weigh and bag the sweet potatoes, and saw some that were astonishing and slightly scary in size. I have never seen sweet potatoes the size of a small pumpkin before.
As men, women and children walked down the line to receive their share, they were all incredibly friendly and thankful. The event went smoothly and the day flew by. When 2 pm rolled around, I was left with weak knees, the satisfaction of helping others and a nagging desire for a sweet potato.
I’m not sure if I will be able to volunteer again soon, but I am happy that I was given the opportunity to help.
Learn more about City Harvest and their volunteer opportunities here.
— Rachael Podbielak, Corporate Communications Intern