It's crazy to believe that another semester has come and gone. San Francisco has held a special place in my heart since I first moved out here two years ago for my first internship. It was my first time by myself in a new city and my first internship in a field that I was still trying to figure out if I belonged in. That semester was a big learning experience for me. I fell in love with the city and the west coast, I learned what it was like to work at a design agency and I discovered how many possibilities there are within the field of design. I left that semester with a depended passion for exploration and the outdoors and a renewed confidence in who I was and that I had found a major that I loved. Fast-forward to two years later with 2 internships in Cincinnati, 1 semester abroad in Australia and here I was back in San Francisco.
This semester I was lucky enough to work on the in-house design team at Grow Marketing, a Experiential Marketing Agency focused on brand experiences. On the team, I was able to help develop and execute creative designs for brand launches, pop-ups, conferences, and other activations. Experiential/Environmental design was something I hadn't had the opportunity to work in before and I loved it. Thinking of things in terms of how people are going to interact with it in a 3D space is fascinating. The environment at Grow was also amazing. They care so deeply for their employees and it was inspiring to be surrounded by so many hardworking, creative, determined people. They taught me that a job should be an extension of yourself and your values and interests and I am so thankful for a semester working for this wonderful company.
Coming into this semester I was nervous. Having come from a semester abroad where most of my concerns centered around what adventures I would be getting into the next weekend to working 40 hours a week was a hard transition. It led to its ups and downs but as I look back at the semester I can't help but smile. Each weekend held a new adventure, a new hike, or someone coming to visit which kept me alive and content. I became so close with my gal pals and roommates and I am so thankful to them for always being down for an adventure, a random wander around the city or a deep conversation about life. The apartment I lived in this time was in Lower Haight, centralized to so many great bars and restaurants and parks making it an amazing place to live. San Francisco yet again reminded me that if I keep following my heart and my passions I will find where I am supposed to be. So thank you to every beautiful soul I had the privilege of getting to know and adventure with this semester - you all rock!
Here are some of my favorite moment from the semester (musing continued after):
1 camping trip, 15 hikes, 5 gal pals, 1 apartment in Lower Haight, 3 bowls of Pho, 1 city, 3 waterfalls, 8 banana slugs, 10 hand stands, 1 Women's March, 5 sunburns, 12 yoga classes, 3 bike rides, 5 car sing-a-longs, 1 national park, 7 state parks, 2 zip-cars, 7 beaches, 30 terrible nature jokes, 3 embroidered pairs of jeans, 1 internship, 7 visitors, 4 happy hours, 20 sunsets, 10 sunrises, 6 stops at the Golden Gate Bridge, 3 teary goodbyes and just like that, my 4th semester of co-op is officially over. Coming back to Cincinnati and a semester in DAAP is going to be an adjustment. But I know that if I follow my heart and my gut I will figure out where I am supposed to be and make the most of it. This time next year I will be a graduate of UC, so here is a reminder to myself to take a breathe and enjoy where I am right now because it will be over in the blink of eye.
Cheers - keleniak
#heckyaSF