I was an intern there during the Fall of 2012. I think I started sometime in August and left at the beginning of December.
I’m currently living in Dallas, Texas and I’m Regional Director of Office Operations for Curo Health Services. Over the past year we have become the largest hospice provider in the country (no brag)! I cover all of our Colorado, New Mexico, and Virginia locations and help to make sure they are staying compliant.
I have so many great memories! This is going to be a novel. First of all, I absolutely loved every single person I worked with. I heard some other intern horror stories during my time in DC, so I was so grateful to be able to show up to a place every day to be met with a loving, passionate, HILARIOUS group of people.
Working events was probably my favorite part of my BRAVO! experience. It was incredible to see all the work that had been done for our clients coming to fruition in a single day or night with amazing food, music, and colors. Working events was very in line with my own pace: always a million things going on, coordinating with partners, “No, you go here!” - I loved the hustle and bustle that came with the job.
I rode my first Amtrak train and made my first *official* trip to New York City for the New York Stem Cell Foundation Gala - which was, as you can imagine, a dream come true for my sheltered little west Texas heart. The event itself was outstanding. I remember walking down the stairs, looking up, then seeing Martha Stewart just a few steps ahead of me. She looked flawless, of course. Holocaust survivor and acclaimed author Elie Wiesel was there. An ACTUAL painting by one of my favorite artists, Roy Lichtenstein, was part of the silent auction (it sold for $11K) and his wife was in attendance. I was completely out of my element and loving every second of it. I’m sure I stuck out like a sore thumb in my JC Penney suit (which I now realize was hideous) in the swanky Manhattan venue among all the ~rich and famous~ .
BRAVO! really taught me the importance of professional relationships and partnerships. Coordinating these marketing opportunities, no matter how big or small, would literally never happen it weren’t for all the other amazing companies with whom we worked. Fostering positive customer and partner relationships are essential to the success of everyone’s businesses and even personal happiness.
I learned that it is critical to like the people you work for and work with. As I mentioned before, coming into the office was something I dreaded. Coordinating, communicating, and (most importantly) LAUGHING with Nancy and the rest of the team made working feel…well, not like work. I am so incredibly thankful for the time I had at BRAVO!, for the professional experience it offered, and for the friendships it’s given me. I will always be a part of the BRAVO! family!