Welcome to a special guest blog by our intern, Ashley Arndt. Although she joined the BRAVO! team late in the semester, she has been a wonderful addition to the BRAVO! family. Please enjoy reading about what Ashley has learned from her experiences in the District and here at the office!
Guest Blog: Ashley Arndt
November 18 - December 10, 2015
Hello all,
My name is Ashley, and I am the newest addition to the BRAVO! team. After a previous internship that wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, I was overjoyed to be so warmly welcomed by everyone here at BRAVO! Although I have only been here for a few short weeks I have learned so much during my time here.
A little bit of background about me; I am a Canadian exchange student studying Communications at the University of Calgary. My passions include planning events, baking, and any outdoor winter activities (after all I am Canadian). My family knows me as a social butterfly, and I am always the one organizing activities for my friends and family back home.
Before I left to come to the United States to begin this adventure I did not know what to expect. Living in Washington D.C. has been completely life changing. I have made friends and memories here that I will cherish for a lifetime, which is cheesy to say, but true. This city is unlike anywhere I have ever been; there is always something new to do or try! Some of my favorite memories include attending my first MLB baseball game, going to Mount Vernon, exploring Georgetown and Old Town Alexandria, seeing the monuments, and of course trying a new brunch location every weekend. Forewarning to those coming to visit DC, brunch here is huge, but by far my favorite was Ted’s Bulletin (they make their own homemade Poptarts!).
Throughout the semester I learned about myself personally, and professionally. It is fair to say that I will be coming home with a greater sense of independence; before I came to DC I had never lived on my own. I now can successfully add the ability to cook, do laundry, and carry groceries for three blocks to my skills list. Professionally, I figured out that I want to pursue a career path in event planning and management. After witnessing all the amazing events that are always occurring in this city, and interning at BRAVO! I have come to the realization that this is a career that I would enjoy, and as they say if you find a job you like you never work a day in your life!
These past couple weeks of my internship have been awesome. I have gained a lot of knowledge about the events industry. Although I began my internship after the fall event season was over I still learned a lot about all the steps that go into an event, even after it is over. Additionally, one of my favorite experiences I have had at BRAVO! was attending the BizBash Plan-A-Thon event. The purpose of this event was to network with other individuals in the local events industry and to complete a 30-minute challenge. We had to plan an original, hypothetical event from start to finish. Our team created a unique river conservation initiative. Although we didn’t end up winning first place in the competition we came in close second. Attending this event was yet another confirmation that I finally feel I am on the right path to my future career goals.
I head back to the homeland of maple syrup, hockey, and moose this Saturday thankful and blessed for the wonderful semester I had abroad. Before I left I titled my photo album with the quote “She believed she could so she did”, and I belief that it is fair to say that quote is the perfect summation of my time and experiences in Washington D.C.