Throughout the duration of my junior year of high school, I was faced with the stressful task of figuring out my plans for the summer. I'd been advised by many of my senior friends who were accepted to top universities to try and book an internship over the summer to build my college resumé. Throughout the process, which I started back in the second quarter of the school year, I was met with a multitude of challenges, including rejections. As cliché as it might sound, each rejection led me right to the opportunity I was meant to pursue.

Facing Rejection

Around October, I began the process of applying for summer programs, thinking that I would benefit from the major head start. I searched online for competitive programs and made an organized spreadsheet indicating each deadline. In November, I found out that all my friends were applying to programs from big-name universities under the impression that they would make for an impressive resumé filler.

My mom, an alumna from Stanford University, suggested that I apply for the one provided by her school. I spent a couple of weeks filling out the application and writing the necessary essays to be submitted by the early deadline in December. On the bus ride home from a school soccer game in January, I received an email regarding my acceptance.

From the research I had done about the Stanford Summer Session before I had even applied, I knew that the cost to attend would be extremely expensive; however, my parents advised me to apply anyway and discuss it later if I was accepted. After receiving my acceptance, we had the discussion and came to the reasonable conclusion that the $18,000 cost was not worth it. With that option gone, it was time to start back from scratch.

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Throughout my junior year, I struggled choosing what field I wanted to pursue. For most of my life, I'd assumed that I would end up in the medical field, considering it was what almost everyone in my family (both my parents and every single one of my uncles) had done. However, the summer after my sophomore year, I began volunteering at a hospital in their medical-surgical department.

While I enjoyed my three-hour shifts that I did once a week, I realized that I could not see myself working in that environment with 12-hour shifts for the rest of my life. At school, I held a publicity position for multiple clubs that I also enjoyed working with, and utilizing my creativity skills to create promotional graphics for clubs didn't feel like a chore to me. I was also on the marketing team for an online platform, and for fun, I would help write their ads. Upon self-reflection, my focus started to switch, and I spent months comparing my interests.

The internships and programs I applied to at the beginning of the third quarter were mostly aligned with the medical field. Because my best friend and I were both interested in going into healthcare at the time, we would email applications to each other and apply to the same ones. With all the emphasis that people put on getting a summer internship, I failed to realize how difficult it actually was to get a real job-like opportunity as a high schooler.

When decisions came back, I either received a straight-up rejection, a waitlist, an acceptance, but it cost thousands of dollars to attend, or no follow-up at all. I probably submitted over 15 applications over the course of my junior year, and I was still left with almost no options.

Around March, I started hearing from my friends about the plans they had for their summer, and I was shocked to hear that a majority of them had paid the outrageously expensive tuitions to attend programs offered by prestigious colleges. I wondered if I had made a mistake by deciding not to go to the Stanford one that I had been accepted to. There was no way I could have paid over $1k, let alone $18k, for a program that only lasted a few weeks. It was crazy to me that I knew so many people who paid that much to go.

It was the fourth and final quarter of my junior year, and I was dreading the end of the school year. Other than what I normally did over the school year, I had no new plans for the summer. I never thought I'd find the best opportunity in the way that I did.

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How I Bounced Back

I was sitting in my AP Seminar class the day a guest speaker was scheduled to make a visit. Among other accomplishments, he introduced himself as a rapper and the founder of a streetwear-style clothing brand called NBDYVLLE that values themes surrounding diversity. I was intrigued by his presentation about building a personal brand and how marketing strategies can be used not only to promote a product, but to present yourself.

The idea that first impressions and creating relationships with people strategically were all aspects of marketing was a new perspective that I had never thought about before. He gave us complimentary t-shirts from his brand; however, by the time I was given one, the only sizes left were XL. The one I received was so big on me that it covered my shorts and reached my knees.

When I went home, I examined the online shop for his brand and admired the captivating design of the website. However, the first thing I noticed was that all the models, from both his shop and social media platforms, were adults. I thought back to the shirt I'd received and wondered if the smaller sizes could be advertised better towards teens.

In June, I reached out to my AP Seminar teacher, requesting the contact information of the guest speaker. I then sent an email to him regarding the ideas I had for his business and what I could possibly do to help.

We scheduled an interview, and I talked about how it would be beneficial to expand the brand's target demographic since streetwear is becoming increasingly popular among teens. As a teen myself, this was a great opportunity for me to use what I understood about trends and social media influencing as marketing strategies, as well as the skills I gained from my marketing team position and an online course I took for e-commerce.

Image Credit: Hudson from Unsplash

After receiving rejection after rejection from online internships throughout the entirety of the school year, I was able to create the perfect opportunity for myself by taking advantage of the resources available to me. I realize now that if I had been accepted to any of the competitive programs or internships that were related to the medical field, I would have pushed myself deeper into a field that I was not fully passionate about, and I never would have been able to explore new worlds by creating something for myself.

I am now in the middle of creating a campaign that features teenage models that will be promoted on the brand's social media platforms and online shop. This is in hopes of implementing a larger range of inclusivity among all ages, as well as capitalizing on the unique consumer habits of Gen Z buyers through fashion trends and the influence of social media.

You do not need to spend an extreme amount of money on summer programs from top colleges to pad your resumés. What's more important than any prestigious name is the experience that you get out of it. I was able to explore my interest in business and marketing in a leading position that I created.

If you find yourself facing rejection from the internships you apply for, make your own. Don't be afraid to cold call or email companies or professors for opportunities, or even ask people you know. Take advantage of the resources that you have and bounce back from rejection!