I didn’t quite know what to expect from this summer other than I was to be working for an event entertainment company in London and had hit it off pretty well with Kat and Claire who interviewed me for the position. With only one semester left at university, I figured I must have some sort of experience that could help me survive the summer, but I couldn’t think of what purpose my theoretical knowledge would serve in the workplace. And then I arrived.
To say you welcomed me with open arms would be an understatement; you absorbed me like a sponge takes water. From the start, your support and encouragement showed me I was capable and worthy. All of a sudden, my knowledge is no longer theoretical but practical and experiential, moulded from clay and baked in the kiln.
“They’ve ruined you,” is what I’ve been told. You’ve ruined me, because I’ll be hard-pressed to find another employer, another team that is so wonderfully charismatic and talented, another team that treats the “new guy” as an equal and values his opinions and experiences. You’ve ruined me with your kindness, generosity and industry expertise.
And while you all are the above and so much more, I have to say you haven’t ruined me. You’ve elevated me. I was a sponge, and you provided me with water. Like a person is led to summit Kilimanjaro by their Sherpa’s, so I was led to great heights by this team. You’ve challenged me to embrace my gifts, to accept the roles of writer, marketer and creative. You’ve inspired to chase my dreams fervently, never back down and reach higher than the peak.
So, here’s to everything. Here’s to all the laughs, the meetings, the drinks, the chocolates and the bang bang chicken baguettes. Here’s to Mamma Mia and one more cuppa. But most importantly, here’s to you. The team.
“They won’t remember what you said or what you did, but they will remember how you made them feel.”
You have blessed me with a lifelong memory, an extraordinary experience to take with me the rest of my days. I will never forget any of you nor how you made me feel welcome, supported, intelligent, creative, and limitless.
Thank you.
Jeffrey x
