Juniors in the Off-Term: Jess Barfield in New York City

This winter, my classmates and I have finally taken our first off-term since our freshman summer. I decided to escape the polar vortex that is Hanover (weather reports indicated colder temperatures than Mars at one point!) and to take an internship in New York City (so far not that much warmer!!!). I am currently working in the advertising business at last year's agency of the year, BBDO.

In the fall, I was lucky enough to meet a Dartmouth alumnus who was able to provide me a connection to BBDO's New York CEO John Osborn D '88 (Ozzy, as we call him in the office). Based on Dartmouth connections, I am now able to take the next step toward my dream of becoming the next Don Draper (Mad Men reference for those who might not understand).

Recently, I've been working on the American Family Insurance account to produce a Super Bowl commercial which involves more work and time than I could have imagined, and we're on a huge time crunch with the Super Bowl coming up so soon! I also have been able to assist with the many Mars Co. accounts, which deal with Snickers, M&Ms and Twix, as well as helping out with the NY Knicks account.

The atmosphere here is open and we all sit at long tables that allow for tons of collaboration and back-and-forth communication. At my table, we have some members of the American Family Insurance team as well as members from the Mars international team. Behind me sit the upper-level account managers that work with Snickers in the US and beside me are the account execs from M&Ms. It's so exciting to see the work behind some of my favorite candy!

Though my hours are long (but fun), I've been able to see a few NYC attractions after work and on the weekends. I'm living in Midtown West, where there are tons of corporate buildings and I'm just a few blocks away from Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and 5th Avenue. The city really does have it all, anything you can imagine or want is within a few blocks away and accessible at literally any time. And luckily for me, my apartment is only a few blocks away from work, so my morning commute is just a short walk. I've also been able to visit some world-famous museums including the Met, MOMA, and Guggenheim.

Last weekend I ventured down to 34th Street where some of the flagship department and designer stores are located. There's so much to do in New York and I can't wait to continue my adventures and see what else New York has to offer.

I'm loving my internship here at BBDO, but I can't deny how much I miss Hanover and can't wait to get back the DFH family and prepare for an awesome 2015 season.

-Jessica Barfield