Intern Insights: Rachel’s Baptism By Fire

One of my favorite things about mentoring interns is giving them an opportunity to step outside of their comfort zone. This semester, The Andie Summers Show is hosting an intern from Immaculata University named Rachel.

Rachel is a double major at IU, studying Communications and Criminology. Her resume includes Honor Society member and officer, managing editor and staff writer at the school newspaper The Immaculatan, and Communications Director at a local Catholic parish. Pretty impressive! And Rachel's work ethic lives up to her resume.

Upon our first meeting, Rachel made it clear that the thing she most hoped to achieve from interning with our show is a boost in her self-confidence. Rachel is smart and talented, but tends to back away from the spotlight. While it is not meant for everyone, there will come a time in everyone's life when all eyes are on them. My team was ready for this challenge and excited to help make her comfortable and confident in her own skin.

As I was preparing for an interview with a well-known reality TV celebrity, Rachel's eyes lit up, and her excitement level lifted the room. It turns out she is a big fan of the show Below Deck and was seemingly amazed that I would get to talk to one of the show's stars, Captain Sandy Yawn. This was my chance to pull Rachel out of her shell and onto the stage, so that is exactly what I did. Rachel attended The Home and Garden Show with me, where we interviewed Captain Sandy on a stage in front of hundreds of fans. And she was fabulous. I asked Rachel to blog about her experience, so here is her side of what happened.

Captain Sandy Yawn is best known for her time on the series 'Below Deck Mediterranean', as the first female captain of a superyacht. Her mantra is “Wake up, show up, kick ass, and repeat while charting your own course in life.” She is truly inspiring, and I had the honor to meet her privately and interview her with Andie in front of a live audience!

My dad and I have created a bond over our shared love for Below Deck, so when Andie invited me to the interview with her, I immediately jumped at the opportunity. I quite literally opened Andie’s email while lying in bed, and quickly sat up to assure my eyes weren’t deceiving me. For the next week, I waited anxiously and patiently for Friday to come. I was so excited, but also growing increasingly nervous each day that went by leading up to it. A little fun fact about me, I was diagnosed with anxiety when I was 13, so by Friday, my general nervousness turned into a knot in my stomach. I was still very excited, but the way I was shaking on the way to the convention center would have made you think I had ten cups of coffee. I planned ahead of time, which is the professional move, but also the best way to calm nerves. I did a ton of research, learning a lot of things I never knew about Captain Sandy.

When we walked backstage to privately meet Captain Sandy prior to the interview, I was shaky, sweating, and admittedly fan-girling. I think I kept my cool for the most part, emphasis on ‘think’. If I could put a laughing emoji here, I would, so just envision it. Captain Sandy, her team, Andie, and I all stood around for about 10 minutes talking about 'Below Deck Med.' and The Andie Summers Show. I remember most of the interaction I had with Captain Sandy, but some of it honestly feels like a blur. However, I do remember some of the little secrets that Captain Sandy spilled. One that utterly shocked me was how, in season 5, she spent a majority of the night cleaning Chef Kiko’s galley. Naturally, none of us knew that because production never filmed/showed it.

Despite the anxiety, sweating, and shaking, being on that stage with Captain Sandy and Andie was such a privilege and honor. I had so much fun getting answers to all of the random questions I’ve developed over my time watching her on TV. She was so sweet and open about everything. She has an extensive background in her field, as well as in her personal life. I am immensely grateful to Andie for inviting me, and to Captain Sandy for allowing me to professionally fangirl. - Rachel the Intern

I can assure you that Rachel hit it out of the park. While she may have been nervous, she looked cool as a cucumber and was able to illustrate her excitement and admiration of Captain Sandy while maintaining professionalism and poise.

Well done, Rachel!