“Ladies and gentlemen, This is your Captain speaking. Welcome onboard Flight IT24 with service from Novice to Professional. The weather looks great and we are expected to land on Intern Street at 10:07 AM. Until then, sit back, relax and enjoy the rest of the flight”.
Alongside many other interns who were on a trip to professionalism, my final destination was BHM, the house off Allen Avenue.
“If you don’t make a move, you cannot move”.
The above saying perfectly encapsulates my journey to BHM and my time here. I have always thought big and had great expectations for myself, which is why I started my internship search five months prior to starting it.
You ask why? I didn’t want to intern at just any place but give myself the opportunity to learn at a reputable organisation with a myriad of prospects at the Center of Excellence.
My journey to BHM was as dramatic as it could be but alas, on July 10, my Mom and I arrived in Lagos. Stepping out of the car that evening and looking up at the grey and white building, every preparation, hard work, anxiety and anticipation seemed justified. I didn’t know what the next ten weeks would hold for me all alone in a new city with a new family, but I trusted God.
On my first day at BHM, I had such a culture shock. The way everyone spoke, dressed and interacted with one another wasn’t what I imagined a corporate setting to be like. Most people who saw me would say hi and treated me like another colleague, not as a student intern. The way they’d say I don’t think I’ve seen you before and go on to introduce themselves showed me that BHM is a close-knit community.
It wasn’t just addressing everybody by their first names that threatened to throw me off the chair but the way everyone worked like a clock. If someone is not running to ID Africa for an idea from a campaign they had worked on before, they would carry their laptops from room to room reworking a plan, or inquiring about vendors for an event. Amidst the hustle and bustle and of trying to satisfy a client and fatigue from endless brainstorming, everyone smiles through their work and tries to make each other happy.
I’ve had so many highlights, from writing my first entertainment story on Asake to visiting the MTN Plaza for a Press Conference and working with my manager on the MTN Pulse, Champs and Flexa Bundle campaigns, it’s been surreal. The times I got to engage with influencers for the MTN Spelling Bee and Sights and Sounds campaigns felt like my own fifteen minutes of fame.
What I love about my time here is that I was pulled into the loop of things. I was given real tasks to do that deepened my understanding of media and public relations, such as pitching stories to journalists and the unfavourable interactions I had with them via phone call. Tracking became my daily routine, and listening to my senior colleagues cleverly talk about the execution of a campaign, my favourite being the MTN Foundation corroborated the first thing Dr. Rob told me when I came here – there are some elements in physics that when you put together, they create sparks.
I wrote so many stories I never believed I could write because quite frankly, I found writing mentally tasking. As time went on, I began to build confidence in myself that I could actually write something beautiful. And every time I called my Mom to tell her about something exciting that I did, she would always say, “Ehen, if you had stayed in Ijebu-Jesa would you do all these things?”.
I always dreaded the daily meetings when we were working in-person because everyone always had so much to say and my tasks didn’t meet up with that volume so I’d always disturb Dami to give me more to do or ask Sheila if there was something I could help her with and thankfully, they did.
There were times during our Brands and Marketing meetings that we would have random 101s on media relations with Stanley or how to interact with clients via Dr. Rob, which is golden.
One thing I like about BHM is that we go for the big things. From handling the portfolios of some of the biggest brands in Nigeria to hosting the Africa Breakfast Session with Allison at the UNGA, I am only inspired to dream bigger myself.
I once described the BHM’s operations to my colleague as highway traffic- especially that of Google Chat. Syndicate. Please rework. Find attached pictures from the event. Davina. Plan. Budget. Brainstorm. It got to a time I got scared of being idle because how can everyone have so much to do and it looked like I was flexing.
When I look at BHM’s operations in such a flexible work environment, the portfolios and the brilliant people that walk through its doors, I always think to myself, “ATG has done well”. I find it incredible and inspiring that one man could lay down this structure and have trusted people to handle the job. Indeed, it is only those who are courageous to pursue their dreams that actually make a difference in the world.
I always resisted the urge to post on my status so my friends wouldn’t think my own was too much but in the few times I did, a few genuine ones would tell me “Awwn I’m so happy for you, Tomi you’re so lucky, you don’t know what God has done for you” and so on. My host family would always tease me about working in-person only two times a week, and I’ve had to explain so many times that I’m working remotely most times doesn’t mean I’m not working.
I wish I could stay longer. My time here has been transformative, and as I complete my internship, I will always remember BHM as the place that inspired me not to shy away from work- especially the few weeks when my laptop was faulty and I had to do my job without it- and dream bigger.
As I arrive at the airport to board the plane back home, I longingly take a look at the things around me- the familiar faces, the yellow tricycles, the scrunched up buildings. Though nostalgic, I feel more optimistic about the future. Fingers crossed, I was headed to Confidence Street.
Ladies and Gentlemen, This is your Captain speaking. Welcome onboard Flight IT24 with service from Professional to High Flyer. The weather looks great and we are expected to land on Confidence Street at 18:09 PM. Until then, sit back, relax and enjoy the rest of the flight”.