Pinch Me!

Sawasdee lovers!

So I recently received a sweet message from the president of my Eta Sigma Gamma chapter back at Texas Woman's University! She wanted to check on how I've been, how my volunteer hours are going, and if she could share my blog with other students in our organization! This post will be dedicated to details of my internship applying process !

I'm warning you now, this may turn into rambling but bear with me! We all know I love to talk :)

First I'll start off with me. Hey everyone! My name is Cheyenne and I'm graduating this May 2014! As a Health Studies Major at TWU, we must complete all coursework before our required internship! This means you got lucky enough to finish all your classes and FINALLY get a taste of the real world...of what you'll potentially be doing forever ;). Now if you're Pre-OT you only have a 180hr internship to complete, but if you're purely HS then you get a beautiful 360 hr internship of tons of learning and opportunity.

I first set out for internships on September 9, 2013. I know this because I created a separate professional email for my applications, resumes, cover letters, business cards, etc. Please please please do this if you haven't already. Make sure your resume is beautiful. Take advantage of TWU Student Career Services. Not only do they help you with your resume, you get mock interviews, internship opportunities, and even some fancy clothes to wear (and keep) when you land an interview! Plus so much more! I'd book that appointment asap if you can! The sooner you work on the resume, the better! Organize your accomplishments, use action phrases like "completed, lead, marketed, implemented...etc" or take advantage of all the money you spend on college and visit this awesome department!

Anyways back to the applying. I dug deep for what I wanted. I pursued companies like Corporate Fitness Works, HealthFitness, Southwest Airlines, USAA, L&T Health and Fitness, Apple, Kersh Wellness, DisneyWorld, NFL,Verizon Wireless and a few more.

Some of these sound way above my reach. These are some pretty GREAT companies. But I was passionate about Corporate Wellness and learning more. I also wasn't subjected to one place and wasn't going to let finances hurt my chances of a great opportunity. I knew I would figure it out once I got there. Some of these companies are like contracting companies that place coordinators all around the nation. So after applying with a few I had offers from Progressive, MetLife, etc..

The only 2 internships that were paid were Southwest Airlines in Dallas TX & Verizon Wireless in Tampa. I wanted Verizon Wireless the most because of the great interview I had & the ability to answer my questions, just like a good preceptor should!

I can't tell you how many REJECTIONS I received through all of this. So I made it past the phone interview with Southwest and went in for the in-person interview.The next few days were hectic because a little bit of me thought if I received this one it would be easier for me financially getting to stay in Dallas and live at home. But I got the phone call & didn't make the cut. At this point I was exhausted, thought I'd never get an internship, and feeling like a failure. I had already sent out a really awesome and genuine email to Coach Mike about how badly I wanted the Verizon Wireless internship and was just waiting on his response. If anyone wants a copy of what I said, please let me know :)

The next morning Coach Mike called me and extended his and Coach Lauren's offer to me. Not only did I exclaim yes, I was dancing around my room and so so so excited that I would get to spend my Spring Semester with an amazing company, getting paid to learn, and living an hour from the beach!

This is why I say PINCH ME! Stay tuned for the next blog post to share all of the stuff I've been working on and a deeper look in my life here in Florida!

xoxo ciao,
Cheyenne Peluso