Welcome to The Blair D.C. Project, Blair Guilfoile's weekly blog about her experience being a fall intern for BRAVO!. We love our intern blogs and hope you enjoy following Blair!
Week 1
August 31 - September 4, 2015
I’ve dreamed of an internship in DC since the first time I visited this incredible city during my senior year of high school. Now, almost 3 years later, it seems surreal that I am actually here. But before I delve into what my life will be like for the next couple months, let me give you a little background who I am and how I got here.
I was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan until my freshmen year of high school and then my family moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in northern California. When it came time to pick a college, I decided that I was ready to take on another region of the country, as well as more culture shock, and chose to attend Texas Christian University (go frogs!) in Fort Worth, Texas. I am an advertising and public relations major with a passion for strategy, branding, and storytelling. It is this love of stories that drew me to DC in the first place.
While my pre-med friends may disagree, I believe, in the words of poet Muriel Rukeyser, that “the world is made of stories, not atoms.” For me, DC is the epitome of this concept. It’s hard to walk a block in this city without walking by some sort of landmark or monument, each with its own story or, in many cases, stories. Some of these narratives are familiar- we’ve been reading about them in our history books for years. Others are more obscure- they are the kind of anecdotes you pick up from your Washingtonian Uber driver, along with the realization that your $2 Uber ride was more insightful than that $20 guidebook you just bought. But whether it’s the Lincoln memorial or that hole-in-the-wall restaurant who’s favorite patron lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, DC is teeming with more than just historical landmarks and marble structures. It’s built upon stories that have played a part, large or small, in shaping a nation.
BRAVO! is all about sharing stories and creating memorable experiences for our clients. I’m only a few days into my internship and already I am feeling at home. My first day we had an “all hands meeting” where my fellow interns and I got an overview of what we will be working on for the next few months. I will be involved with projects such as the Walk to End HIV and work with clients like the Smithsonian Media Group. Joining me on the #internsquad is fellow TCU Horned Frog, Madison Oberg and Emerson student and Californian native, Tracy Parco- so be sure to check out their blogs as well! Between our time in the BRAVO! office and adventuring around DC, I’m sure we will have plenty of stories to share over the next few months!