A SEAT AT THE TABLE
By: Celine Sugiarto, Art Direction Intern, CoLab
As I grow older, and (hopefully) wiser, I find myself drawn to learn more about myself, my surroundings, my relationships, and this walk of life. If you know me, you’d know I journal pretty frequently. It’s where I can reflect and process my feelings. It’s in my journal where I’ve seen some of my most joyful moments and some really ugly moments. It’s filled with everything from encouragement to give me hope throughout hard seasons to my dreams for the future.
I remember the day I got a call from Lori DePace, the internship program manager at Publicis Health, telling me the news that I was accepted for the Art Direction Internship program for the summer. It felt like the greatest day of my life — securing a position and feeling like I have some sort of direction post-grad. But why did I still save a seat for anxiety?
The internship begins and I start learning my way around. My manager, Stephanie, is the jack of all trades, supporting and guiding me while she’s handling multiple projects and transitioning between teams. I worked on projects such as updating brand identity, creating storyboards, and a fully immersed intern project — evolving a Publicis Health campaign. I was taking everything in day by day. Yet, some nights I’d write in my journal and say,“I feel so incapable of doing my job,” or “Am I even fit for this?”
This is the reality of navigating your early career journey. It becomes discouraging seeing others seemingly thrive in their new roles, while feeling like you’re not there yet. I hope it’s encouraging to you when I say this: it is a beautiful thing to be a part of the process. Where things aren’t perfect, when you mess up, or feel like you’re not quite where you thought you’d be.
On the last day of my internship, I found myself writing, “I’m not sure what’s next for me, but I am grateful to have gone through this experience. I truly felt the love and support. What a joy it was to have a space for me to learn and grow, and have a seat at the table.”
After a few months on the job search, I am now back at Publicis Health as an Associate Art Director, still figuring things out, and taking it day by day. While I don’t know what lies ahead in my future, I am grateful for this opportunity to learn from those who are different from me and be welcomed into this community. So even in the anxiety, worry, and fear, I’d invite you to take a seat. You’d be surprised at how much you can offer.
