I recall my first steps into the Stutz building on my inaugural workday at PATTERN. It was a little nerve-racking to walk through those doors. I’m the kind of person who enjoys staying in her room all day by herself, with the occasional outing to Target or Meijer. Being introverted is definitely difficult at times, especially when entering a social setting. But over this summer, PATTERN consistently nudged me beyond the limits of my comfort zone, and I was able to meet and work with a variety of amazing people.
Freshly graduated from high school, I chose to embark on a gap year due to the overwhelmingly high cost of college education and my uncertainty about my life’s direction. Why spend all of that money when I have no clue what I want to pursue?
In my senior year, I realized that I had a knack for videography. I recognized that I already knew how to edit, so I decided to begin creating. I started small by working nonstop to make YouTube videos every week for my channel. At my school, I enrolled in a television broadcasting class where I was able to experience what it was like to direct live newscasts, create packages for shows, and work with people to make our station something students would want to watch.
While I had to put my YouTube videos on hold to keep up with school, TV was where I really started to develop my video skills. I was able to learn why collecting videos can be so amazing. Videos tell stories. They capture moments that might never happen again. For some reason, I really loved the thought of that!
PATTERN came into the picture a few months before I graduated from school. I knew that I had to start thinking about the future (well, at least the upcoming summer for now), and the internship PATTERN offered was something I could not pass up. Despite initial hesitations, I sensed that this experience would be a great first professional experience for me—coming into an office and working with fellow team members.
I wasn’t wrong. Serving as a video intern for PATTERN was a pretty cool experience. I loved working with new people, especially the people I got to work with every Tuesday and Thursday! I was also thrilled to have had the privilege of capturing so many interviews with really interesting people, as well as creating reels for PATTERN’s Instagram.
But the most important thing that I gained from this internship was doing things outside of my comfort zone. While a sense of unease still lingers when I’m experiencing something new, my time at PATTERN allowed me to explore uncharted territories. I am grateful for the experience I have been given and am looking forward to what’s next!
