WHAT "INTERNING WITH PURPOSE" REALLY MEANS TO ME
By Julia Costello, Growth Intern – New Business, Digitas Health
What is my purpose? Like many other college students my age, determining my purpose was not always forefront in my mind. As my junior year began, however, I began to unpack this simple yet overwhelmingly complex question.
My year began with the stress of what my summer of 2022 would look like. Where will I intern? What do I even want to do? Is marketing what I should be pursuing? These questions would continue to take up space in my mind for months. As I began to focus on these questions, I started paying closer attention to the work people in my life were doing. My Dad, who had been working in the pharmaceutical industry for as long as I can remember, would share stories and experiences from how his work was improving the lives of others. I began to grow a deep appreciation for what he was doing. Although I was still unsure of where my intern journey would lead me, I knew one thing. I wanted to do work that benefits others; that changes someone’s life for the better. That was my purpose.
In the spring of my junior year, I attended a career fair hosted by a club I am involved with on campus, the Penn State American Marketing Association. As I waited anxiously in the online waiting room to see who I would speak with next, a company caught my eye – Publicis Health. What I learned about PH in the next hour brought excitement to my previously stressful thoughts of internships. Fast forward a few months and my internship journey with Publicis Health, specifically Digitas Health, began.
What I grasped from the start with Digitas Health was their goal of improving patient lives. I was immediately filled with excitement for what my summer would look like. I felt reassured that I had ended up in the right place, even though just months prior I was lost in the stress of the unknown. I recall hearing the phrase “intern with purpose” during my first week and thought back to the people and experiences that helped shape what my purpose is. I knew that by choosing to intern with PH, I would be contributing to work that is improving lives and changing the world.
What would develop in the coming weeks of my internship is my appreciation for the healthcare space, and the work that goes into connecting people throughout the world. As I sit here and reflect on my summer with PH, I am overwhelmed with joy that my work this summer contributed to impact someone other than myself. The projects I have worked on, ranging from client-based to social media focused, were meaningful and will continue to support and improve the lives of others.
The journey to finding my purpose has challenged me to dig deep and uncover what is truly important to me. I find that doing work that supports something bigger than myself is my purpose, and I am excited to continue the journey of uncovering what else that means.
Julia Costello is a Growth Intern at Digitas Health in Philadelphia. She is majoring in Marketing at Penn State University (Class of 2023). A fun fact about Julia is that she loves coffee and exploring new coffee places. In her free time, she loves to read and go on long walks.
