Skate Blog Intern Blog

“You have brains in your head.  You have feet in your shoes.  You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”  -Dr. Seuss

Okay, okay!  I have been reading a lot of children’s books to my best friend’s nephew.  My favorite one is, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, by Dr. Seuss.  It seems funny to be telling this little 16 month old human-being who calls “balloons”, “boons” and who can only count, “too…fee…too…fee” (two & three) about life situations.  The book talks about the many options of life one will take and that sometimes you will take the wrong one, that you will be happy as can be and “..join the high fliers who soar great heights” but also that you will sometimes fall from your high and get a “bump…” that will likely leave you in a “…slump”.

While I read this children’s book to a child, it seems as though it is actually talking to me!  Life is full of decisions, trials, and tribulations, but because we are challenged and figure new ways of solving problems, we become stronger and more confident adults.  It gives us the strength to recognize the path you are on and the ability to change the path however you choose.  The photo below, is a directional “One-Way” sign right outside my old apartment that someone changed to “One Love”.  While creative, funny…and illegal, it seems quite fitting for today’s blog.

The book ends with, “And will you succeed?  Yes! You will indeed!”  And it couldn’t be more right.  I’m excited to move down the Bamboo Skateboard path into Week 3!

Coming to work for Bamboo Skateboards has opened my eyes to a whole new outlook on skateboarding. I have learned so much about the  industry, including the impact that manufacturing skateboards has had on our forests. I  learned that skateboarding has replaced flooring as the number one contributor to the deforestation of maple trees and once these 50 year old trees are cut down, they are gone forever. By using bamboo, Bamboo Skateboards has been able to reduce deforestation and the number of maple trees that are used to make skateboards.

This internship has already taught me the importance of practicing sustainability. I’ve learned that we can all make a difference even if it’s one skateboard at a time.

X

Chelsea

What What!!!! schoooollsss out for summer! With finals over I now get to focus on work and this internship and it has been nothing less then entertaining and informative. From taking pictures, to posting tweets, to walking around sticking stickers on anything and everything, I’ve been enjoying the first few days of my summer. With ideas flowing between all the interns I’m excited to start all the different contest and see how they play out. Thankfully all this hard work and the ample amount of information that I have been given is finally starting to become clear and I no longer feel lost at sea! HA! Well peeps make sure you keep up with whats going on and I will get back to you all within the next week!

Hello everyone!

My name is Kaylee Mikuteit and I was born and raised in the beautiful city of San Diego. I am currently a Junior at the University of Arizona where I plan on double majoring in Communication and Business Management. As much as I love the desert and eating microwave dinners every night, I am glad to be back by the beach, and living at home where I can enjoy my mom’s home cooking everyday.

With that said, this summer isn’t going to be my typical “tan, nap, and sit on the beach.” I have the amazing opportunity to participate in the Bamboo Skateboards Internship. Today is my first day in the office, and it has been hectic. Needless to say, this is going to be one heck of a learning experience. Mike and I have been collaborating all day, massaging out problems, trying to forge a new path, and to create a plan for success in the PR field. Mike and I are riding solo for the PR team, so hopefully we will become the dynamic duo, taking on the challenge of PR one step at a time! I am really excited to continue moving forward and to work with all the great people I have met so far. So far, so good.

When they say this isn’t your typical internship, the aren’t lying. It’s definitely not the running around, picking up food and coffee for the office kind of job, and I’m loving it. With my second to last semester of college coming to an end, this week has definitely been an eventful/stressful one. With finals, a job, and making sure I complete everything for this internship my head has definitely done a few 360′s. All I know is I’m extremely stoked for summer to be right around the corner and for this internship to take off in full force.  I am meeting amazing people from all over and I am so excited that I get share these next few months, if not much longer, with them all. This is the beginning of an adventure that will surely be teaching me more about the industry, the people, and myself. Can’t wait to absorb all this internship has to offer!!! Keep posted and ill be getting back to all you lovely individuals here soon <3

Week one of the Bamboo internship program is down and I could not be more excited that things are finally getting started.  I moved out to San Diego, California from Richmond, Virginia at the end of last summer to pursue a career in action sports.  Seven months of waiting tables and sleeping on my parent’s couch later, I discovered Bamboo Skateboard’s job posting looking for interns and took a leap of faith by applying.  I’m completely stoked to finally have a foot in the door in the industry at a company that is environmentally concious as well!  I can’t wait to see what these next 15 weeks will bring.  As of right now, I’m still taking it all in, ready to get organized and start learning everything I can.

It’s finally the first week of my internship at Bamboo Skateboards and I am so excited to be here. Although it may only be an internship, it is a lot more work than one may think.  There’s a lot more to this company than just skating. At first, I was so overwhelmed with all of my responsibilities but, now I am getting the hang of how everything works. I love everything Bamboo Skateboards stands for and getting to work with this amazing company is an honor! I look forward to learning and growing through this internship! Keep posted for future posts!

XX

Chelsea

Oh what a wonderful ride.

It has been a four month blur of building excel spreadsheets, business plans, media packets, creating event fliers, running numbers, finding data, meeting goals, missing goals  and at the same time making some of the best memories of my life. In very few professions you are allowed to show up to work in flip flops, drink a beer with the boss during working hours, watch the ocean sunsets from the roof and promote a business that is more of a lifestyle than a brand in many ways. While this all sounds like it was just play, there was a very clear and important ingredient of business practices in play at all times.

On numerous occasions during the last few months, I was amazed how much was going on at the same time, and as long as they are prioritized and handled properly they were all successful. By managing all the elements involved with running a successful business while organizing many other aspects of my own life, I now have a greater appreciation for those who choose to start a business in such a difficult industry. I cannot express this enough, it is very difficult to run a successful company in these times, and running a successful business in this industry only adds to the struggle. Then add in life and the stresses associated with that and you are bound to run high blood pressure.

Within any given moment, my internship had many responsibilities that needed constant attention. It was not a question of what needs my attention today, but more what needs MORE attention than the other things today? This everyday lesson has taught me a great deal of time management, negotiating levels of importance in a business, and properly disseminating work. By properly planning a comprehensive schedule, efficiencies were fine tuned to a level of success that I had never known before. This was the single most important aspect that I received from the internship.

This last four months has absolutely validated the old cliché: if you want something hard enough, there is nothing that will stop you from getting it. There were many struggles for myself and the other interns, but every time there were difficulties encountered, I thought of one thing: I’m finally working with a company that carries a philosophy and lifestyle that is close to my heart. Many will agree that this brand fuels many things that we find very passionate in my life, and represents an evolving culture that has led the pack in action sports!

Thank you for making my dream of working with the industry come true Bamboo!!

JEB

SIANARA