A Day in the Life of an FIU Intern: After the Festival With Shena Corrado
Well, the 2010 Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival has come and gone.
On Sunday, as I walked off of the beach for the last time, I had goosebumps and bittersweet feelings. It felt amazing that it was all over and everything we had set out to accomplish was successfully completed. However, it was also a sad moment thinking that this would be the last time I walked off the site of the Festival.
I had grown quite attached to the position and the students who worked the festival – with some I had even formed great friendships.
The four-day festival was an amazing experience. From day one we hit the ground running as I, along with my team, registered students at all of the events. I mainly worked at the Grand Tasting Village, Burger Bash and BubbleQ events – the ones directly on the beach.
As soon as the students were checked in, I attached myself to my radio and prepared for the calls. Most of the calls were from student leaders to inform me that, unfortunately, their student assistants did not show up for their responsibilities. So I had to replace them with SWAT students – students on the reserve team who agreed to show up and patiently wait until needed to fill in for someone else.
This year, we had some truly amazing SWAT participants. There was an overwhelming response of students willing to show up and assist with any responsibilities thrown their way. I even had two students who were unable to participate due to injuries and chose to assist my team in the registration tent, instead of opting out of the festival. I was really proud of the turnout and the dedication the students showed at this year’s festival. They really did an outstanding job and made my job much easier.
There were not many challenges this year my team and I were not able to handle because the students were rock stars. I would say the biggest challenge was filling the spots of students who could not make it. However, Lourdes Balepogi, an independent contractor, and Vanessa Rajnish, a student leader, really stepped up to the plate to ensure that those spots were filled.
This festival was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Words honestly cannot express how grateful I am to have been offered the opportunity to participate as the Student Associate Coordinator. I had such a blast working with all of the students and getting to hear about some of their background stories. A couple of the students even had the celebrity chefs sign a Student Associate t-shirt and then framed it for me.
I really enjoyed every minute of my job this year and it’s so hard to say goodbye. I can only hope that they invite me back next year to at least, consult – although I am confident that Ashley will do an amazing job!
As for what is next for me after graduation – that remains a mystery. I am hoping to stay involved in event production and more specifically, event staffing. I have found a passion for managing volunteers of special events and I would like to think I have a knack for it as well.
Until then, I would really love a vacation!
Guest post by Shena Corrado and courtesy of Florida International University School of Hospitality
