"Do you, boo boo" : My Experience at Rhyme
My name is Anna, and I'm a rising senior at Northampton High School. Two years ago, I signed up for the IT Pathways program at my school. I spent last summer resetting and maintaining my school district's computers. But, there wasn't really anything that could've prepared me for this internship.
I was paired with Rhyme Digital and immediately Googled to see the website and pictures of the office. Instantly, I spotted a picture of two dogs. Interesting. Yet still, I thought this would be just as mundane as last summer. I couldn't be more wrong. I laid out my professional outfit the night before my first day arrived, then I woke up early, got ready, and headed over to Easthampton.
The Big Day + Meet (part of) The Team
I opened the door, and a black and white mess of a dog galloped toward me. This is Chance, a lover of belly rubs. Then I met Nelly, who I quickly identified as Chance's chew toy. She's the milder of the two. But, whenever there's food out, Nelly and Chance share a single brain cell and tunnel vision for whatever measly crumbs they can get.
As I walked in, I met Sophia, Rachael, and Dan. Sophia is Rhyme's Digital Marketing Assistant, and she is my mentor. As I write this, she is recovering from a Pitbull concert in Boston, which Rachael helped her pre-game for by blaring Pitbull from her office.
Honestly, I feel that's an appropriate introduction for Rachael. She's very good at multitasking and has a very outgoing personality.
Dan, on the other hand, I am introduced to as "the numbers guy." Still not sure what that means. Sometimes Dan gives me insightful tidbits about the marketing industry and life in general. Other times, like when I asked him what to write for this post, he said, "Do you, boo boo."
Among their many other responsibilities at Rhyme, Rachael and Dan work collaboratively to wrangle Chance and Nelly, a truly commendable feat.
The Office... No, Not The Show
I got a tour of the office, and some things stood out. First, I'm shown the stockpile of snacks. Nice. Then, Sophia showed me the bathroom, labeled with a sticky note reading, "The Ideas Room", which never fails to make Rachael snicker. Lastly, I realized I'm a little overdressed. Birkenstocks, Crocs, and sandals seem to be the business-appropriate attire here. Noted.
After our brief tour, Sophia assigned me my first task, creating an Instagram post for the ArtsHub of Western Mass. I took a look at its page and got an idea of what kind of design style to use. After I finished, Rachael and Dan told me it was much better than anything they've tried to make. Sophia neither verbally agreed nor disagreed, but from the look on her face, I could tell she thought so too.
Defining "Intern"
In the past week and a half, my previous expectations are completely gone, similar to your lunch if Chance or Nelly are left unattended and get a sniff of it. Every day when I walk in, Chance sprints to greet me, barking loudly, especially when the others are on Zoom meetings, only fueling Dan's love-hate relationship with him. I sit at my desk and begin my work, which I truly think is really fun. It's a fusion of everything I like, writing, design, art, and statistics. I expected this internship to be a boring office job, where I sit at a desk and type up reports or sort files.
And sure, there's some of that. But it all contributes to the bigger picture and allows me to keep creating and designing. I never thought I would be looking forward to coming in every day and being here, but the work I do is super eye-opening. Finding out that I could do something I love for a job? Insane!
Almost as insane as Dan gets when Chance does virtually anything. I promise he loves him.
I think.
I know that I'll be sad to go at the end of next week.
But I am so grateful for the amazing experience with the dogs and people alike here at Rhyme.
