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I walk through the door of 220, my arms already stretching out for the up button on the elevator. As the golden, glistening doors glide open for me, I take a step into the enclosed space that will magically drop me off at the promised land all the way up to the treacherous heights of the…

Second floor.

So the day now commences. Walking through the tunnel of illuminated arrows guiding me to the reception, I routinely think I’ve been transported to some future version of “Follow the Yellow Brick Road – DiGo edition.” I emerge and see Sam, and I know I found my way for yet another day of adventure and learning. I walk closer to her to say hello, but the sound of Nick Jonas’ new album stops me short. I close my eyes. This my jam. Sam always knows just the right music to play that accommodates all employees, guests, and interns alike who breeze through the reception area.

I walk up to the ping pong table just a short sweep past the reception and channel my inner champion. And with full spirits, I head to my desk in the Creative Lounge, a comfy bungalow of colorful and stylistic chairs that vary in cushion thickness and lovability (directly correlated). I boot up my computer for the day. Dan, my computer named after its former master and fellow employee, sometimes is a bit slow. So I cheer it on as I help myself to a cup of coffee and chant “Go Dan Go!” inspired by my childhood favorite, “Go Diego, Go!” I remind myself to never lose my sense of curiosity, always ask questions, and push forward in all aspects of my work.

Once my computer is up, my screen populates with emails from my operations team. We set our objectives for the day – each of us emailing a list of five to seven main goals to accomplish.

I usually start with an ongoing summer long human resources project. In brief, it’s a bunch of Excel work. While many people begrudge the sound of that, my inner nerd has a strong affinity to this software program.

I start getting more emails as the people around me find more tasks for me to help with. Bertin, our finance coordinator, requests that I file some travel invoices and scan the documents. I’ve never used a scanner before. I walk up to the bulky machine looming oh so mysteriously in the corner. My heart is pulsating at a rapid speed as my hands start to push a myriad of buttons in a faulty order. Bertin sees the terror in my eyes and offers a helping hand. All is resolved and peace is restored. Invoicing is complete.

I meander back to my desk saying hello to the friendly faces around the office and resume my work on various operations projects, because soon I will have my meeting with my boss, Sydney. She’s the coolest gal on the block, and no one will argue that. With the tallest kicks in the game, I hear her walking toward the room where we are meeting for our weekly check in. As the Operations Manager, she makes sure everything runs smoothly, including my internship. We chat about our favorite brunch spots and after-work shenanigans before we bounce to business. She usually assigns me some new projects – both short term and long term.

So I begin to work on these from the late morning into early afternoon, but my stomach interrupts me around 1:00pm. I gather a #squad of other available interns and see if they want to grab lunch and sit in Madison Square Park for a few minutes. We venture out into the land of buildings and working professionals dressed in monotone suits (thank goodness for DiGo’s business casual dress code). We whisk down 23^rd Street, passing by aromas of exquisite cuisines until we arrive at….

A salad place.

But it’s ok because we will be getting bagels at the office tomorrow so we should probably pursue a healthier option today anyway. As we eat our salads in the park, I look around as the sounds of the city and the banter of my fellow interns fills the air. Summer is a beautiful time of year indeed. Feeling refreshed and properly nourished, we trek back to the office for a full afternoon.

The remainder of the day is spent completing various operations tasks and making progress on my larger projects. When I’ve had enough of working in solitude, I group email two of my ‘terns, Chloe and Hannah. We are planning DiGo’s 20^th Anniversary Party – keep your fingers crossed that you get invited because it will be the party of the decade. We like to hit the DiGo beach to do our party planning – we do our best thinking here. The three of us envision the majesty and splendor of luxurious décor and the finest of fancy foods. If I could give more details here I would, but it must be kept as a guarded secret for the time being.

I take a lap around 5:00pm and grab one last cup of coffee.

The final sprint.

In the last hour, I wrap up my work to a good stopping point, chat with my fellow interns about their evening plans, and check in with boss one last time. Another day passes in which I have made stronger connections with those I just met mere weeks ago, formed valuable time management skills with the several projects I’m on, nurtured my caffeine addiction, and felt truly inspired.

I felt inspired by the work ethic and natural flow of creativity harmoniously juxtaposed by a strong foundation – a structure spearheaded by the operations team. I felt inspired by the optimism of the office and the drive to move forward with every project in the works. I walk out a little less intimidated and more inspired by the grandeur, knowing that I am becoming a part of this company’s inspiration and core, along with all of my new interns and friends.

-Shelby Strattan, Operations Intern