Hello again! Hopefully some of you remember me. But if not, well hi 🙂 My name is Catie Bombard and I’m a sophomore at the lovely University of Scranton. It’s funny to think that this time last year I was writing my first blog as a freshman, sitting on my bed in Driscoll Hall. This time around I’m relaxing at my desk, looking out at the amazing view I have from my new room in Condron Hall (room 702 to be exact, top floor!). I’ll be posting some pictures once my room is fully decorated, but until then I can fill you in on these past three months.
Now when most people hear the word “summer”, they automatically think warm weather, the beach, vacation, etc. just to name a few. Unfortunately, when I reflect on my summer, those words don’t necessarily pop into my head. Every time someone has asked me, “Catie! How was your summer?”, I have the same response: “It was good…went fast…I really just worked”.
However, as bummed as I was that I never got to tan on the cozy beach sand, I can’t complain! This summer I was lucky enough to have an internship with Topcon Medical Systems in Oakland, New Jersey (only 15 minutes away from my house!). TMS is a subsidiary of Topcon Corporation of Tokyo, and specializes in creating and selling ophthalmology equipment. (in simple terms, they make a lot of the machines you see at the eye doctor’s office.) The department I interned in was Product Planning and Management. There, I wrote up announcements on product updates, created PowerPoint presentations, administered the company’s learning management system, and even got to record product training sessions. The internship lasted around 10 weeks, Monday through Thursday from 9AM to 5PM, so I still had Fridays and weekends to sleep in and catch up on whatever I needed to get done at home. This is the majority of how my summer was spent, but it was TRULY such a great experience. Despite some of the slower office days and getting up early, I received generous pay and had the friendliest coworkers. The best part? I worked with my best friend every day! Out of the three internship spots, we were lucky enough to fill two (that also means we filled two cubicles…diagonal from each other.) From carpooling, lunch breaks, and hanging out in the copy room, my best friend I had a blast working together. Having an internship after only my freshman year was such an incredible opportunity; I wouldn’t have traded it for anything!
Alas, while pretending to be an adult in the real world is fun, I’m now back at my second home! Back to reality. I must admit getting in the swing of things has been a little rough. These past two weeks have been packed with meetings and events, but I’m sure I’ll be settled in soon enough. From a hefty course schedule, to a cappella rehearsals, and now writing for the school newspaper, this semester will present a number of challenges for me. And I’m actually excited about that!
In my very first blog as a freshman, I focused on the idea of opportunity. I whole heartedly believe that freshman year is the time when you realize that the world is your oyster. You are now in a new place, able to do whatever you want and be whoever you want. (This can really be true at any point in life, but you get what I’m saying). And yes, freshman year was definitely still filled with a number of challenges. However, this is now the year of challenging myself. Overcoming obstacles while pushing myself beyond my limits. To a healthy extent of course. 🙂 I’m no longer just a freshman trying to figure out the basics and I’m ready to step outside my comfort zone a little bit more. I’m lucky enough to admit that my first year here ended incredibly well and gave me a great foundation for the next three years.
Well now that it is finally September, school is really in session! With that being said, I’m off to finish some homework. I’ll be back next week to update you on my Sophomore* Scranton Experience. 🙂
Hope you all enjoy the rest of the week!
Catherine E. Bombard
Hi! My name's Catherine, but you can call me Catie and I'm a sophomore from Wayne, NJ here at the University of Scranton. I'm an English major, Communication minor hoping to have a career in publishing one day. I'm a member and the publicist of Octaves, an a cappella group on campus, along with being a writer and editor for The Aquinas, the student newspaper. Thanks for checking out the student blogs and I hope you enjoy hearing about my "Scranton Experience"! :)
