I have to admit: Half the fun of writing this post is dusting off my old Wellesley essay writing song! I had a sneaky suspicion that I’d get to hear it again at some point, and I’m so honored and excited to have the opportunity.
Even before I left campus last May, I knew that Wellesley would continue to play a huge role in my life. I’m thrilled to report that I haven’t been let down in the slightest. Exactly one week after commencement, I flew to China for my Albright Institute for Global Affairs summer internship. I was lucky to have a solid amount of Mandarin under my belt, a number of Wellesley friends in the area, and an opportunity lined up with Charlene Wang ’03 at her local tea company. Based in one of Beijing’s historic hutong neighborhoods, Tranquil Tuesdays taught me so much about the city, Chinese tea, and China’s entire tea industry. Of course, the internship also opened my eyes to the entire world of running one’s own business. As an English major without much prior entrepreneurial experience, I loved having the opportunity to develop such a valuable skillset. Most importantly to me, though, was the fact that Charlene very quickly became not only an incredible mentor but also a wonderful friend.
The summer flew by, I flew home, and I found myself in Minneapolis. Actually, that’s not quite how it happened. I made a very conscious decision to follow my study abroad sweetheart to Minneapolis. Wellesley never talks much about this stuff, so I’ll take a minute to discuss it now.
Real talk: I certainly got my fair share of rolled eyes from those who seem to believe that “women who will” must do it all on their own. Follow your guts, little sibs. I’m now living in an amazingly fun city, working in an office I love, doing meaningful work that I’m good at, and I get to see my no-longer-long-distance boyfriend more than once every couple of months. It’s not the right decision for everybody, but don’t let anybody’s judgments make you feel like your decision is not the right one for you.
Where I’m at now? A dream job that I never could have even dreamed up. Life is full of many surprises, just as the tech industry is full of many positions for people who can think quickly and clearly. In September, I landed a job with a Minneapolis-based digital solutions firm, and I wake up every morning so thrilled to be working on challenging projects that are effecting change in my community. Every day is something new, and I feel so humbled to be learning from such a great team of developers and designers.
More high marks for Minneapolis: the Wellesley in Minnesota book club! Once a month, I brush up on my lit class discussion skills and hit the dinner table with a fabulous group of fellow alums. Up next is The Gardner Heist, which, I know already, is going to make me nostalgic for Boston.
I’m not sure there’s a concrete lesson in all of this. If there’s anything I’ve discovered in the eight months since graduation, though, it’s that the best experiences come when you choose to embrace them. Well, that, and when you reach a final play count of more than 3,350, it’s probably time to put the essay writing song back into the vault again.
– Sara Simon ’13