Week 8:
Last Week at Ventures

August 18, 2018

Last week at Ventures

Yesterday I officially finished my internship at Ventures.  It was a bittersweet week, filled with both successes and also a few tears. It was great to finish up all of the projects I had been working on. I spent most of the week printing, laminating and putting up signage in the store.  I was so proud to see all of my hard work pay off when I left the store on Thursday for the last time. I remember walking into the store for the first time and beginning to concoct ideas for how I wanted the store signage to look only eight weeks ago — and now it’s finally a finished physical product!  And more importantly, I was able to spend a bit of time this week training people at Ventures to continue the store signage project.  The sustainability of my project was a huge end goal for me this summer.  On top of that, I bought some souvenirs at the store to bring home to my family, and while checking out I was able to select the email receipt option, something I worked hard on during the first few weeks of my internship — it was a great feeling to put my work to use.

People at Ventures

All of my projects aside, I felt so sad to leave the store and all of the amazing people I worked with in the office this summer.  I feel incredibly grateful and lucky to have worked with such passionate and intelligent individuals who care so much.  I found myself thinking about the phrase Beto said at an early all-staff meeting I attended – “it matters.”  The work that gets done in the office and the store everyday matters to someone, and I feel fortunate to have been among people who care about making a difference to every individual who steps foot into Ventures.  I will miss the all-staff meetings, chai from Farestart, the dog photos my coworkers would share with me over lunch, the bright-orange and white colors of the Ventures office, the hustle, and bustle of Pike Place Market, but most importantly I’ll miss all of the wonderful people I was introduced to this summer.

Goodbye Seattle

Saying goodbye to Seattle this week has also been hard. I have really grown to love this city and all that it has to offer.  I will miss living in such a fun and diverse city.  I’m so grateful for all that Seattle has taught me about “adulting.” I have learned so many new things – not only professionally but also personally.  For my first time working a 9-5 office job, I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, and I’m glad I was able to discover that this summer.  Thank you to all who made this summer in Seattle possible!