Switching Things Up A Little Bit
Part 3/3 Reflection Post for Cansbridge Fellowship’s 2021 Cohort
Just like this past year, these last few months have been filled with all sorts of unexpected yet incredible moments and experiences. My time as a Cansbridge fellow and a summer intern at Bounce have been unforgettable even in such strange times. Despite the lockdowns, closures, and cancellations I would not trade this experience for anything. My fellowship experience has provided me with some incredible direction at a time filled with uncertainty. Despite this year’s difficult challenges I am beyond grateful to have been part of such an amazing initiative, alongside such a great cohort. I’ve had the privilege of joining a talented and supportive community of innovators and creators. This community has allowed me to meet several awesome people including my boss Sean! While my interests have remained largely the same, my goals and career interests have slightly changed. The ups and downs of my fellowship experience and internship experience have provided me with a different perspective on everything from how a company operates to how I can best leverage my strengths and weaknesses as a professional and person.
My fellowship experience has certainly not been perfect. First, there was the impact of the ongoing pandemic we are experiencing. Our cohort was unable to experience some of the hallmarks associated with the fellowship. For example, we were unable to work abroad or travel to sunny San Francisco like previous cohorts. Next, my search for a challenging and engaging internship encountered several challenges along the way, once again driven by the pandemic. And finally, dealing with the ups and downs on the job has been difficult at times, especially when you are locked up inside instead of being in an office with your co-workers. Nevertheless, I believe these challenges have in fact amplified the overwhelmingly positive experience I’ve had in the last few months while also acting as valuable learning opportunities moving forward. I’ve learned to embrace failure and uncertainty in a way that has allowed me to look at life after graduation with a much more proactive approach.
Much like my fellowship experience, my time as an operations intern at Bounce had its fair share of ups and downs. This summer was my first time taking on several important roles and responsibilities at a company. Taking on my projects was exciting and fulfilling, I was able to see my progress and impact on the company. However, the downside was that I had to quickly learn to manage my projects along with their success and failure. Sean and his team placed a lot of responsibility on my shoulders and at times it was hard. Thankfully, I learned the importance of a strong team and company culture through Sean and the rest of my senior colleagues. They understood how fast-paced the company was and encouraged me to reach out for help or guidance whenever I needed support.
My time at Bounce thrust me into the cut-throat world of early-stage start-ups. I quickly learned no day is the same and nothing, even an easy sale. is guaranteed. Some days I would work a little longer than anticipated, only to realize I needed to completely rethink my approach. Early on I got annoyed or even frustrated, it felt like my efforts were constantly hitting a wall. However, over time I began to embrace the uncertainty tied to every project. Instead of fearing the uncertainty tied to my projects I realized it just meant I had so much room to brainstorm and develop new and exciting ideas and solutions.
Ultimately, both experiences with the Cansbridge Fellowship and Bounce have given me so much in such a short amount of time. Upon joining the fellowship I had been quite fixated on breaking into the venture capital space. My time working at Bounce allowed me to understand the inner workings of an exciting early-stage start-up. Working with such a knowledgeable founder like Sean truly allowed me to understand everything from growth to business development from a founder's perspective. While I am sad to see my fellowship and internship experiences come to an end, I am excited for what the future holds and I am sure the Cansbridge Fellowship family will continue to play a major role in my life after graduation.
