Ben Scheer: My Summer in Philly
Ben Scheer here! As a Curb Scholar who is studying Human & Organizational Development, Economics, and Computer Science, I have had the opportunity to live in work in Philadelphia this summer. I am an intern at DiD Agency, a pharmaceutical strategy and advertising company. Here is an update on what I am up to and a few of my discoveries so far!
One thing I found is that Philly has its totally own thing going on. While where I usually work is outside of the city, I am living near center city in a townhouse with two graduate students. I have gotten a unique chance to live the city life and explore Philly, which has quickly become one of my favorite cities. It’s easy to walk around in and full of interesting landmarks including the Liberty Bell, Rittenhouse Square, and more. You can often find me running on the Schuylkill River trail to the stairs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art – the same famous stairs from the Rocky movies. Philly is a welcoming place where people get together often to celebrate large events. For example, in June, I left my townhouse one morning and accidentally walked into the annual African Festival, which was full of music, dance, and rich culture. There are lots of restaurants, music venues, and comedy clubs as well. It is a world of its own here in Philly, and on weekends I have been traveling to other cities like Washington D.C. and Boston to visit friends and family.
I have also been exposed to the inner workings of a healthcare advertising agency, and have experienced what an amazing company culture is like. DiD faces different challenges than many other agencies; pharmaceutical companies that DiD works with have special legal boundaries that come along with healthcare. Thus, the agency balances creativity and incredible attention to detail in their work. While many advertising agencies with similar goals to DiD can have an intense culture, DiD manages to create a constantly fun and exciting environment. The office has a space with ping-pong, darts, and video games. Many employees have formed softball and kickball teams and play together right after work. The office conference rooms, each with a name based off of the Wonders of the World, contain meetings that are extremely efficient, yet lighthearted. There are social events every week both at the office and outside of the office. I have the freedom to mainly work with the business strategy team, the technology team, the creative team alongside the four other interns who are also spending the summer at the company.
So far, it has been a time for personal growth, both as an intern and as an individual living in a city. Outside of work, I have actually been working on something new of my own and I will keep you updated about it. Ultimately, I’m grateful that Curb has helped open up so many new opportunities for me this summer!
-Ben