It’s no secret that this year hasn’t gone how anyone planned. Due to COVID-19, clouds of uncertainty have overshadowed what promised to be a vibrant season. However, although murky and different, this year has still managed to be prosperous. I’ve come to learn that it’s not circumstance that dictates success and spirit, but rather the positive attitudes and willingness of those around you to become the light needed in that darkness. Afterall, what power can darkness have over those made up of its adversary—the light?

For me, Woolpert and all who make it what it is have provided illumination this summer. Because of Woolpert, I’ve been inspired to be bright—to not just search for a light at the end of the tunnel, but to become the light deep within the tunnel.

Coming into my internship, I was afraid—afraid it would get canceled like my collegiate track season, in-person class experiences and contact with loved ones. My fear dissipated as Woolpert not only continued its internship program, but beautifully adapted to the circumstances to provide its biggest internship program to date. This opportunity was my first flicker of hope.

Working remotely can be daunting, especially while starting a new job. But right away, I felt Woolpert’s warmth. After a personal onboarding experience, I was quickly handed challenging and exciting work. I had blogs and articles to proof, emails to generate, content to create for the website, projects to take hold of—each task filling me with a fire and drive to learn and succeed, to prosper and shine.

One project I had the pleasure of working on was the Great Place to Work grid that is published on the Careers section of the Woolpert website. It opened up the opportunity to interview Woolpert employees and learn about their work, lives, passions and even their favorite cereals. Each of those interactions refueled me. I could see that although I had to endure this difficult season, I was working through it with radiant people, making the summer of 2020 seem a little less dark.

Woolpert has the right perspective to navigate challenging circumstances. I’ve observed the firm’s willingness to shift priorities toward what truly matters and its ability to keep hope burning inside its staff, who then passed that along to everyone they encountered. I could name 100 reasons why this internship has blessed me and why I’ve chosen to return next term; but instead, I’ve boiled it down to my appreciation for Woolpert—for being here when many things were not and for igniting my spirit.

A tunnel like the one we’ve been passing through can be long and twisting, but it doesn’t have to be dark. Thank you to those who saw me shining before I even realized that glow. And thank you to everyone at Woolpert for continuing to be a light inside this tunnel, even when it’s still difficult to see a glimmer of hope at the end.