Before coming to Harvard, I thought of myself as a very Type A person. I carried a physical planner with me everywhere, mapping out my days down to the minute. I loved having a plan for everything because there was something so reassuring about knowing exactly what came next. 

When I first got to campus, the question of summer came almost immediately. It felt like everyone had something lined up, or at least some sense of direction. As a first-year, I didn’t. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, where I wanted to be, or how I was supposed to get there. All I knew was that I wanted to explore something in government or the legal field. The pressure to figure it all out so early on felt overwhelming, especially when it seemed like everyone else already had. 

By December, though, I had narrowed one thing down. Wherever I ended up in June, I wanted it to be warm. Somewhere far from home with sun and water, maybe even Miami. It was more of a daydream I thought about from time to time rather than a plan, the kind of thought you don’t take too seriously. 

In January, I came across the Center of Public Service and Engaged Scholarship’s Stad Fellowship, which supports Harvard students working in government and public service over the summer. As I scrolled through the list of placements, one location stood out immediately: Miami Beach. 

Just like when I applied to Harvard senior year, I ended up applying to this Miami Beach internship on a whim. I didn’t think too much of it, and I definitely didn’t expect anything to come from it, especially as a first-year. A few weeks later, I got an email saying I had made it past the first round and would be hearing from the Miami Beach Mayor’s Office. I remember sitting in Cabot Library in the Science Center when I got a call that Friday about scheduling an interview. I was excited, but I kept my expectations low. 

The interview came and went. I thought it went well, but like most things, I replayed it afterward, picking apart every answer and quite literally cringing at what I had said. So when I got the email the following week saying I had gotten the position, I had to read it more than once to actually believe it. 

That was the beginning of what would become the best summer I’ve ever had. 

I spent the summer working in City Hall in Miami Beach, just a short distance from the ocean. My main project focused on a proposed water taxi between Miami and Miami Beach, where I worked on law and policy and was also introduced to aspects of engineering, which I never expected to find interesting. It was the kind of experience that pushed me in ways I didn’t know I needed. 

I met coworkers who quickly became some of my favorite people, including Misha, Gala, Grant, Franklin, Lizzy, and Katie, who made everyday moments memorable. Misha, my project supervisor, taught me so much about data analysis, a skill I know I’ll carry into every future internship. Gala sat in the cubicle next to mine and listened to all my random yaps throughout the day, always laughing along. Grant understood quite literally every TikTok reference I made, which felt like a small but important comfort. Franklin and I went back and forth every day about the latest Love Island episode. During lunch, Lizzy, Katie, and I made it a tradition to play a new board game each day. 

Even now, almost a year later, I still find myself thinking about that summer. For a while after coming back to campus, it felt strange to return to routine. I missed the pace of each day, the spontaneity of the work, and the people who had so quickly become such a meaningful part of my life. 

Looking back, it’s funny to think about how stressed I was as a first-year, convinced that I needed to have everything figured out. The version of me who planned every minute of every day would have never predicted that one of my most defining experiences would come from something I applied to on a whim. 

If anything, that summer taught me that not everything needs to be mapped out in advance. I still keep a planner, but I don’t rely on it in the same way anymore. Some of the best opportunities come from uncertainty and from trusting that things will fall into place even when you don’t have a perfect plan, like my summer in the City of Miami Beach.