This past week my internship at AL DIA came to an end after a three month long adventure into the real world. AL DIA was my first internship I have ever taken and it was definitely a great fit for my first experience.

In my last post, I mentioned the 20th Anniversary Gala that I assisted in planning for at the National Constitution Center. Witnessing an event that I helped out in come to life was very exciting and rewarding at the same time. Most of my night was working the check-in table to greet the guests and hand out pamphlets of the event itinerary. Through doing this, I got the chance to meet and greet CEOs and other executives of companies such as GM, Macy’s, Sunoco, PECO and Independence Blue Cross along with groundbreaking members of the Latino Community. I also had a chance to meet NBC 10′s Monique Braxton who was the Master of Ceremonies for the entire event.

Every aspect of the event ran perfectly. I was very proud of myself and the entire AL DIA staff because the success of the night was a complete team effort. Collaborating on a project and experiencing it come to life with a team every step of the way made me feel a special bond with the AL DIA staff.

After working on this event, I really noticed my love for event planning. It is a lot of long hours, stress and attention to detail but it is also a very exciting and rewarding job. Event Planning is definitely a career area that I would consider in a future job position.

Even though this internship was not about advertising or at an ad agency, I still learned a great deal of valuable information. I learned that my advertising knowledge was still extremely useful outside of an agency environment. I also gained knowledge and experience that can not be taught in a classroom. Though I am not Latino and do not speak a word of spanish, I have gained a new respect for the hardworking people of the Latino community. It is a great culture that everyone should be informed about. The best way to learn about the real world is submerging yourself into the center of it. The things I have learned at AL DIA will stay with me through the rest of my career.

I was very sad to leave my position at AL DIA on my last day. I will miss the excitement and the warm and friendly staff members. The friends I have made through this internship will definitely be long lasting. I am still going to do my best to attend all the future events AL DIA holds to still keep up to date with the company. Adios!