IDLE DAYS, boredom, and chronic restlessness are just some of the tags we associate with summer; but what happens when carefree afternoons and late morning brunches have been replaced with early call times, and possibly a nine to five job? Then you’ve got four enterprising folks who are beating the heat, one labor force day at a time.
These interns are swapping their swim suits, and throwing their beach hats off for something more work appropriate—whether it’s suiting up for corporate, dressing down to gather footage, styling it up for a magazine, or just anything comfortable for field work. Meet the new brand of boys and girls of the summer, fresh off the freezers and ready to rule the world.
DINDIN REYES
Sleep deprivation, in the academic context, is customarily reserved for our hell weeks; exhibited by tired eyes, coffee binges, and zombie-like behavior. But when school puts intellectual harassment on hold, we succumb to full-time bumming and revel in excess slumber—but not Dindin Reyes. If sleep is for the weak, then she’s one hell of a trooper.
As if one internship wasn’t already enough, she decides that one more wouldn’t leave her too stuffed. “I was considering a third internship [but I really can’t anymore],” she says. An intern for ANC’s Storyline and a director who’s currently working on a feature film, she’s able to get by with only two hours of sleep. Even with a 4 am call time and 1 am wrap up time, she says, “It’s worth it naman eh.”
The thrill and the seductive glare of being behind the lens isn’t what it’s cracked up to be—for now, at least. “For people in production, you have to know that you really start at the bottom,” Dindin says. “You just have to be prepared, and be willing to take everything.”
Her love for film really took off while filming the feature, (incidentally) titled Senior Year. “I learned how to see how to piece things, to make shots come together,” she says. Though her jobs are on different ends of the production spectrum, she treats it as more of a best of both worlds thing, rather than a creative tug-of-war.
“You really have to choose your internship,” she says, “[the wrong one] can really deter you from going through the course you want.” And with that, she concludes her packed day, and it’s a wrap for Dindin—but already, she’s anticipating for the next director’s cut.
DREW COPUYOC
Drew Copuyoc arrives with a beach ball in his hand, and a long-sleeved polo on—exactly what we asked him to include for our shoot. Exuding professionalism, all business but with ease and openness, he’s looking every bit of a model employee for his summer internship with Proctor and Gamble (P&G). From the immediate looks of it, summer is all work for Drew.
“I wake up, and I’ve got class in the morning, from 9 to 10:30 [am],” he says. “Then from 10:30 I head off straight to Makati, and then work until 7 in the evening.” His schedule is hectic, but he doesn’t seem to mind.
With only a couple of months to learn the ropes, Drew’s already made quite the impression with P&G’s bosses. “We just finished our midpoint presentation for the following fiscal year,” he says, “[then suddenly], they announced that they’d use my plan for July, August and September.”
“That is a test of a good internship—when you’ve really left a mark,” he says with a smile.
Besides a ton of guts, Drew was benevolent in giving out the tricks of the corporate world trade. He narrows the essentials to drive, an open-mind, and the expectation of the unexpected. “They know you’re an intern, so they want to help you succeed,” he says. “This isn’t like Ateneo org life. Be open to new things.”
It may look like it’s just all work for Drew, but with that smile on his face, and that beach ball in his hand, there seems to be time for play, too— and it’s safe to say this guy’s got quite the balancing act up his professional sleeves.
KNIGHT RODEROS
It is necessary to understand that Knight Roderos does not steal from the rich and give to the poor. Not really. He’s in microfinance, and it is his job to bridge the assets of the rich and help distribute loans to the ones who don’t have any. Knight really lights up when you ask him what he does. He answers questions with a proud radiance about him, complemented by the yellow polo shirt he has on.
“I’m in Developmental Studies, and I didn’t know much about what the company, Pinoy ME (Micro Enterprise), was expecting of me,” says Knight, leaning closer to make his voice clear despite the Katipunan traffic. “I submitted my resume because I heard about the internship from my friend who studies abroad. They asked me if I knew my math, [and] that was it.”
Knight’s average day at work consists of him going to the office, and on the occasion, field work, where he goes to Bagong Silang at Fairview. There he talks to the mothers, the beneficiaries of their microfinance work, and asks them how their microenterprises are holding up.
“You really need to keep an open mind about your work, and you shouldn’t stay confined by the course and the job you applied for,” says Knight on what you need in order to survive the NGO Jungle.
There is something different with this knight. He doesn’t feel the need to be an outlaw to do good for the others. Knight Roderos could very well be our own law-abiding Robin Hood.
PAU COHERCO
Working for a publication has inspired movies, novels or bestseller novels turned into movies (think The Devil Wears Prada), and these have blurred the lines of reality—from fluorescent lights that weren’t made to flatter you, to a world where names are irrelevant, interns merely exist to deliver coffee, and the sound of stilettos elicit terror.
While there may be truth to it, the myths surrounding the universe of publishing are, ironically, devised by the proverbially tortured writer. Because hell hath no fury like a writer scorned.
Thankfully, this isn’t the case for Pau Coherco. Outside the famed waves of pop culture ideals, she has no problem riding the high tides; she’s surfing real steadily, actually. An intern for Cosmo.ph, she says that the beginning wasn’t what she was hoping for. “I expected to work in a magazine, but in the end it’s the website,” she says. “But no worries. When you’re already doing it, it’s basically everything I expected.”
Long hours, a lot of writing, and dealing with people are staples in Pau’s job. It’s not just about submitting your articles on time, it’s has to do with PR, too. “You have to be friendly with other people,” she says “When they know you’re an intern, they sort of ignore you, so have to cope with that.”
Pau just lets it all slide, nameless intern remarks and all, because she finds it all worth it. “You have to love what you do,” she says. No frills, no hidden agenda, no Paris waiting in the fall—just some good ol’ passion to fuel her for the next day.
