My Career

With only months left until my college graduation, I realized that the time had come for me to figure out what I wanted to do as a career. It seemed like every second I was being bombarded with questions about what I was going to do after school, and I always had the same answer—that I wasn’t sure yet. Over the past couple of summers, I had spent my breaks interning at an art gallery, a trust firm, and a non-profit group, all of which were unique experiences that were completely different from one another. In the end, I came to realize that I walked away from each experience with loads of new knowledge and skills, but no true passion for any of the dynamic career paths. Over the years, I had always considered event planning as a potential career that I could really love, but had little actual experience in the field outside of small sorority recruitment events at my university. When I came across the incredible opportunity to intern with Gala, I was more than excited to learn more about this industry that I previously knew so little about. Within the first week I learned more than I had ever anticipated I could possibly learn in an internship. From learning how to set up and number tables in a room, to how to fold a napkin five different ways, I gained a wide range of new knowledge and skills that I genuinely found interesting and fun. However, the most valuable thing I learned during that first week at Gala was the importance of the strong relationships event planners have with each and every one of their clients. My very first day on the job, I was able to sit in on a meeting with a planner and her client, where I was able to witness the passion that the Gala planners have for their work. After seeing this, I was really inspired to be an event planner, and I knew for sure that this was a career path that I wanted to pursue.

by Jessica Marzelli, Event Planner Intern