Today was my first day in the New York editorial office with Odyssey.
I arrived to the office around 9:50 AM. I walked into the lobby where the our handlers and the other interns anxiously waited. I could not believe my eyes. These people that I have been messaging on GroupMe, stalking on Instagram and connecting with on Facebook are actually real.
All of a sudden we are entering these tiny elevators to go through orientation. Just like that, it begins. The first several hours are a blur of information from multiple new faces, most with people that we have been in communication with for months. We also did an icebreaker, which was shockingly not completely awful. After all, I have been talking to these 14 interns for the past three months.
I have seen their faces a million times on social media. I have gone back and forth over social media with these individuals, but to actually connect all the dots with these guys was very dope. (Note: dope is the most used adjective in the office for some reason.) Every single person in this group is an individual with so much to say.
Next on the list was lunch. At this point, we are all starving. Luckily, Odyssey got us pizza as a welcome treat! The kitchen is amazing though. Complimentary coffee and nine flavors of tea are available. Not to mention the infused water and draft beer that are just sitting there waiting to be sipped. (Another note: we are not allowed to drink alcohol at work. Calm down). Cue to meeting our squad leaders, Kamini and Gater, who are going to be leading us to meet all of our goals this summer. I could instantly tell that these two genuinely care about our success, not just with Odyssey, but in life. They even made a presentation on how to "New York." That shit was dope.We also got to walk around the building some and explore our amazing office. Let me explain our set up more. We are in a chain of buildings called WeWork. It is an open concept office complex where start up companies and individuals with big dreams can rent out an office to have a work space. These offices have private areas for phone and video calls alike as well as large open forums that allow for thought leaders to think freely.
The coolest part about the first day were the other interns. Most of them are several years younger than me (and in one case, six years younger than me). I honestly had my reservations about working with a group that was going to be so much younger than myself. I no longer have those thoughts. These 14 individuals, along with the entire 44 person editorial team, are going to push me to do the best I possibly can this summer.
We all have our own unique thoughts and ambitions, but we all have an appreciation for this brand that we are helping to build up. We are all here to make a difference and give back to the company that gave so much to us.
I seriously cannot wait to change the world of Odyssey with these guys. It's gonna be dope.