WHAT DID YOU DO THIS SUMMER? BY KATIE KOPAN

“I had an internship.”

“I shadowed dentists.”

“I went to Lollapalooza and worked.”

Me? I went island hopping in Greece for 3 weeks and worked at an ice cream shop for the remainder of the summer.

People always assume that once you enter college, you need to be completing as many professional experiences as you can. Whenever they ask you how you spent your summer, they’re expecting something along the lines of, “I had an internship with ____.”

Since when did this become the new norm? Why does it make me feel guilty for serving ice cream?

Something these people don’t know about my job is that I can work hard and have fun, while enhancing customer relations, communication and team building skills. Our priority is to provide customers with a great experience, and personally, I can make hundreds of fascinating creations that bring myself and others joy, just in one night.

It’s impossible to not enjoy yourself when you’re surrounded by 20+ flavors of soft-serve that can be swirled, blended with 25+ toppings, mixed with slush, made into a sundae, shake, cooler, pie or a pint/quart sized treat. Even dogs can get a Bow Wow sundae and share the joy.  

And there is no better feeling than seeing people happy, and knowing I played a role in it.

So next time someone asks me how I spent my summer in a professional sense, I am going to say, “I made the most of it.”