Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.
As I complete last minute shopping, dental appointments, haircuts, and doctor visits, it’s finally hitting home that I will be back at school in three short days! I had an incredible summer, and I am ready to move forward and have an equally incredible junior year. I will take this opportunity to reflect on these last few weeks of my summer in particular, before I head back to officially start the new semester. Fun fact: As I write this, I have three gaping holes in my mouth. My new dentist (who I picked solely because he happened to be an ‘SC alum, and turned out to be awesome) removed three ligaments in my mouth that he said would in the future, contribute to gum receding. It’s pretty gross but cool at the same time. I think we can live without pictures from that event:)
Anyway, as mentioned in my previous blogs, I interned at Qualcomm for the second summer in a row this year. Aside from completing my normal work, I also participated in Qualcomm’s annual Intern IdeaQuest competition for the second time. This year, the stakes were raised, as the competition was condensed from two separate contests of 5 teams into one large contest with 10 teams. The competition essentially asks for interns to submit new ideas that the company could take on in any of their divisions. Over a hundred interns submitted ideas, and ten were chosen by a panel of judges. The interns that submitted those ideas then asked other interns to apply to their teams (5 per team), and were given three weeks to further develop the idea and work on a pitch. I was fortunate enough to not only be on a team, but I was a member of the winning team!
Full time employees listening to pitches before voting
Although the NDA I signed at the beginning of the summer prevents me from talking about our specific idea (Qualcomm now owns it), I will
Top 3 teams with Paul
say in general terms that it was absolutely awesome. The actual day of the competition was my second to last day of work. In order to win, our team competed against 9 others in a showcase that called upon full time employees to vote on their favorite idea. Over 500 full time employees showed up to vote, with our team garnering the greatest number of votes!
Me in the exec boardroom, where we had breakfast with Paul Jacobs!
As a member of the winning team, not only did I win a Snapdragon-powered device of my choice (I chose the Samsung Galaxy SIII, which arrived in the mail today!), but the top three teams all got to have breakfast with Paul Jacobs, our CEO! Paul was awesome, and aside from just making small talk with him, we were given the opportunity to pitch our idea to him as well. I think he was a fan:) Overall, I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end my internship.
Just me dressed as a toothbrush, pitching our idea
Team Red doing it big!
The second I finished my exit interview, I sped off to Orange County to spend a few days with my best friend. It was my first time seeing her in months, so it was a happy reunion. The first night I was with her, we went to Irvine to see Ruby Sparks, an indie film I hadn’t heard of before we saw it. I absolutely loved it, and I highly recommend it! You can watch the trailer here. Also, no trip to visit the bestie is ever complete without her introducing me to some new workout. This trip’s choice happened to be Xtend Barre, a fitness class that embellishes upon ballet and pilates. The day after we took the class, my calves were so sore that I had trouble walking downstairs the following morning! We spent our last day together with a mutual friend at Disneyland/California Adventure.
The mutual friend’s father worked for Disney, and was not only able to get us into both parks for free, but he also showed us some “behind the scenes” stuff related to his job, and also procured for us access to World of Color despite fast passes being sold out for the day. It was my first time at California Adventure, and thus my first time seeing World of Color. Definitely makes the top ten coolest things I’ve ever seen in my life list. I could have cried. I didn’t, but I easily could have if I were the crying type:) However, what I will remember most from the trip was the tram ride back to the parking lot. My best friend was dead tired at the end of the day, and the lines for the trams back to the parking lot were pretty long. As she lamented, I jokingly told her that pushing through crowds was a highly valuable skill in India. She took my joke to heart, and decided to prove just how “Indian” and tired she was. Instead of waiting for one more tram, she rather aggressively pushed herself to the front of the crowd (not without some dirty looks), pulling our friend Matt and myself with her. The only problem was that there was definitely not enough room in the row left for all three of us. I ended up awkwardly half-sitting on Matt’s lap. Long story short, given the strict “no lap sitting” rule on the trams, I essentially stopped the whole tram when I was spotted by a cast member on the way back (I got away with two before him not stopping anything). I was asked to relocate, and luckily there was an open seat a few rows back I hadn’t seen. However, I will not soon forget “that one time I stopped the Disneyland tram.” The words “Hold on the straightaway” are forever ingrained in my memory. Obviously not my fault! I will be giving my best friend crap for that one for a while. Her response that night? “Sorry I’m not sorry.” I can’t say I’m all that sorry either.
Me on the Disneyland tram, on to way into the park (not the ride where I stopped it)
Since then, I’ve just been working hard studying for the LSAT, and getting ready to be back at school. My latest obsession/discovery? DSW shoes! This place is shoe heaven, ladies. Discount designer shoes for dayyyyys. Over 10,000 pairs per store, and a rewards program! I definitely embellished upon my collection with some cute and pretty cheap stuff. As proud as I am of winning IdeaQuest, I think the second proudest moment of my summer was finding Steve Madden leather booties for $14.99 in my size!
So, after wrapping up my internship in baller fashion, wreaking havoc on Disneyland and shoe stores, and putting a few holes in my mouth, I think I’m ready to be back at USC. Here’s to an unforgettable fall semester friends!
