Spending the Summer with Marilyn Monroe

by Chloe Bishop

When I first walked into the YMP office, I immediately felt excitement rush into me. The first thing I saw was the Marilyn Monroe cardboard cutout and knew I would like spending my summer days here. Then I turned the corner to a colorful area. 

​It was early morning when I arrived, so the place was pretty empty. Only two other girls were there. I took all of it in and felt overwhelmed and enthusiastic. I thought to myself, "What is it going to be like when we begin? What will I learn here?" When everyone started to arrive, my journey began.
The first few days were rough for me. As an introvert, I'm not comfortable around complete strangers, so of course I was a little mad when Emily Henderson made us do meet-and-greet exercises. It was completely awkward talking to and asking strangers questions. Sometimes the atmosphere was so awkward that neither my partner or I could say anything to make it better.  

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​I did find comfort, though. Even if I was surrounded by strangers, there were friends who made the days better and more comfortable. I started to adjust to the place filled with strangers and started allowing myself to have fun. By the first Friday, June 3, the group activity was actually fun and not that awkward. The writer's lesson taught me what rigorous and great journalism looks like.

Once it was time to break for lunch, an interesting turn of events happened.
Sonni, Jeffrey and Chauncey and I stepped onto the first elevator that pulled up. We thought it was great because we'd probably have more time on our hands. 

​Unfortunately, fate is a cruel thing. Instead of taking us to the first floor, the elevator took us to the roof. No matter what we pressed, it would stay on the roof. Instead of trying again, we all got off and just walked to the first floor, which was a task. 

Luckily, the rest of the day went smoothly for the most part. The second fun part of that day was getting to do a small interview with another student. I will admit I was excited, but the interview was quite awkward at first. It was with someone I usually wouldn't talk to. In the end, the guy turned out to be really interesting, and it was just nice to practice interviewing someone. It will help me talk to people without acting awkward around them. It will also help me feel more prepared when I do actual interviews. 

Overall, I can tell that my experience here at YMP will be pretty unforgettable, but for now it has been filled with learning experiences, excitement and awkward moments.