Name: Justine Ivanov
Year: Senior
Major: Communication Studies
Minor(s): Economics, Integrated Marketing Communications
CFS Class: Field Studies in the Humanities
Employer: Starcom
A Day in the Life – Starcom Winter Intern
6:30 AM: My alarm rings, and I promptly start my morning routine. It’s week five, and by now, I have gotten into the groove of things.
7:55 AM: I leave my apartment to catch the 8:02 AM Purple Line Express. Let it be clear this is not, by definition, an “Express” train. It takes forty-five minutes to an hour to get to the Loop, but I don’t mind the commute in the morning. Because I get on the train in Evanston, I cop a seat and enjoy an empty train car before the morning rush. I drink my coffee, catch up on the news, read my CFS assignments or a book, and listen to music or a podcast.
8:50 AM: I step out of the now crowded train car and walk to work. Luckily, it only takes me five minutes to get from the L platform to my desk.
9:00 AM: The first thing I do in the morning is check my e-mail and calendar. Today, I have a free morning but a busy afternoon. I take the next few hours to work on a research project I was assigned in preparation for a client meeting. I decide to work on the twenty-first floor of the building, a big, coffee-shop-like space with latte machines, food, music, and a variety of seating options. I finish before 11:00 AM and decide to take an early lunch.
11:30 AM: After eating my packed lunch, I meet with the Vice President of Business Development and Strategy, who is a Northwestern alum and is a part of my team, for coffee. She tells me about her Northwestern experience, her career, and gives me advice.
12:30 PM: I attend the weekly team status meeting, which typically lasts an hour. During this meeting, all team members discuss the projects that they are working on and align on team goals and objectives.
2:00 PM: I attend a meeting with a media partner, in which the partner’s CEO and CCO present what they are currently working on. It’s really cool to sit in on these meetings because I get to learn about different companies in the media industry and get to meet a wide variety of people in the media industry, as well.
3:30 PM: I sit in on a call with another media partner to talk through ideas for a client campaign.
4:00 PM: I receive two assignments for two different client projects. I begin working on one until end of day and set the goal to finish both assignments by end of day tomorrow.
5:00 PM: I leave the office and take the Purple Line Express back to Evanston.