Monday, July 29, 2024
By:
“To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.” – The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Nine weeks down, one to go.
Monday was spent the same way as always in ACP. It was a quiet day in the office, but I focused on the last bit of my report and presentation slides. In the evening, I watched Charles, Kaden, Jaden, and Charlotte play Catan. Instead of being the banker, I fell asleep on Charles’ floor.
On Tuesday, Charlotte and I went to NIST. We spent the first two hours in the office yapping with everyone. Our director, Mike, invited us in the morning to have coffee, tea, and muffins to celebrate “National Corpse Flower Day” (apparently, a rare flower was blooming at the US Botanic Garden). I managed to finish the first draft of my paper (35 pages), and I’m really proud of myself for accomplishing it quickly! In the evening, Charles and I made banana bread. To end the day, we all watched the Bachelorette.
On Wednesday, Charlotte and I went to NIST again. I was able to work on my presentation while no one was in the office. We invited Kaden to join us for lunch and learn about resume building. We ended our lunch break with a shopping trip to the NIST gift shop. Ever since I turned 21, I’ve been collecting shot glasses of all the places that I’ve been to, so naturally, I had to get a NIST one (I also have a White House and Senate one).
Thursday was intern appreciation day! All of the interns went to the ACP office, and we filled the area. They provided lunch for us, and it was a nice afternoon. I ran through the first two versions of my presentation with Susan in the afternoon. I spent the night with Maia and Kai, who blessed Sonja and me with chicken enchiladas and Muppets Most Wanted (apparently, I would make a good Miss Piggy… it might boost my ego).
Friday morning, I met with a High Point Alum, now a Patent Attorney (Nikki Sanford, who was also a Mather Intern in 2013)! She gave me a tour of her firm's DC office, and it was great to catch up and chat with her! I later met up with some interns before heading to Maryland to tour NASA Goddard. We walked around the visitor’s center and gift shop (where I bought another shot glass) before meeting with the Director of Astrophysics, Rob Petre. We saw the Hubble Control Room, the LISA telescope prototype, the OSIRIS-Rex lab, and the Roman Space Telescope. It was definitely a highlight of the summer! Thank you to Charles and Rob for putting this all together!!! That evening, a few of us went to happy hour and discovered more Kaden lore. We ended the night with Mamma Mia.
Saturday, we faced the horrors of brunch. It was actually a fun time, and I enjoyed talking with Amanda, Kai, and Amanda’s friend Evan! After a long nap, we watched a few heats of Olympic swimming and then headed to the Air and Space Museum. The night was spent relaxing and preparing for Sunday’s events.
Sunday morning, Charlotte and I walked to grab coffee and pastries. We walked through Georgetown and stopped in two stores before heading to Trader Joe’s to pick up a few groceries. I finished my presentation with Jaden and Charlotte in the afternoon while watching Olympic swimming again! The late afternoon and evening brought the 1st annual Intern Olympics. I was the game master, so I held the torch and welcomed everyone to the opening ceremonies. After some silly games, the points were in, and the medals (made by me out of lined paper) were given. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t proud of every one of them.
To my fellow interns, whom I am so lucky to call friends: Hold on to the memories; they will hold on to you. Please don’t ever become a stranger.
Jenna Mastropolo