Intern Farewell: A Letter to My Successor

It’s always sad when we have to say goodbye to our fantastic interns as they move on to new opportunities. Intern extraordinaire Alexa Aragonez was no less misty-eyed as she bid us adieu to work for the City of Fort Worth.

She offers this message to her successor.

Dear Intern,

Congrats on receiving the opportunity to work with the Balcom Bs! You made the right choice. Your time at Balcom will be memorable and different. As last semester’s intern, I’d like to give you a couple of words of encouragement and advice.

Everyone at the agency genuinely cares for one another. This is truly a blessing. Never before had I worked in a place that is this genuine and thoughtful. There will be times you feel down in the dumps, but rest easy, my friend. Someone will probably notice you moping around, ask what’s wrong, and honestly care about what you have going on. You will feel better after having someone to talk with over coffee in the kitchen. Be forewarned: This is a blessing and a curse. All Bs will know who you’re dating/seeing (ask them about my dates), what family plans you have, and what makes you tick. Nothing goes on at Balcom without someone noticing. Embrace the laughter, excessive questions, and all the love the Bs have to offer. You’ll eventually start to offer the same. 

I don’t know if you have worked in the advertising world before this internship, but if you haven’t, know that every client’s issue is top priority. If it isn’t a hot project, are you really working in advertising? This is where I tell you to roll with the punches or keep on keeping on, or any other variation of a cliché about perseverance. I wish I could say that these clichés don’t ring true, but they do. They ring loudly here at Balcom. You will be working on four different projects at one time. You will be up to your knees in filing, emails, overdue timesheets. But no matter what, you won’t hate your life as an intern. You won’t wish you were somewhere else. You won’t quit. You will love it. It may be something in the water here at Balcom, maybe even the tacos they will feed you, but you will successfully finish those days where there are three client meetings and six milestones with a smile. I’m not going to say that you won’t want to just crawl under your desk some days, but I am saying that once those days are done, you will feel accomplished and wish you could do it all over again (maybe even if that is a week later). It goes back to last semester’s saying – please take it to heart: “Deep breaths and chocolate.” Never were there words so wise.