American Ballet Theatre has a special place in my heart. Seven years ago, I walked up the infamous steps to my first summer intensive. I remember waiting in line for my placement class number and eyeing all of the other dancers like any other audition setting. I wanted to prove myself as a little twelve year old in a sea of older, professional dancers. That summer was one of the best experiences of my life. I learned to be independent and challenge myself. I met incredible people that I am still friends with today.
This summer, I walked up those same steps again, but this time, to my first internship. I sat in the dancer’s lounge waiting for my ID and eyeing the other interns as they trickled in for our first meeting. The intern program coordinators, Dennis and Brendan, eventually started the meeting and introduced what the next two months would be like. It seemed like a whirlwind of assignments, time sheets, and performances. I wanted to prove myself in the group and the office. I would be working in the finance department, which was made up of six or seven people, under Godwin Farrugia, the Senior Director of Finance. So the following week, I got to work.
As an intern, I have been surprised by how much work I have been given by the team. I assumed I would be given exclusively intern-y things to do, like scanning and filing papers. Don’t get me wrong – I definitely have those jobs, but I also have bigger responsibilities. I work with Godwin on journal entries for the Met season. He was extremely patient while teaching me how to do jobs dealing with bank reconciliations and V9J reports. He helped teach me the importance of speaking up and taking ownership of mistakes. Sandra, the Payroll and Benefits Manager, gave me assignments to help with payroll. Marianne, the bookkeeper, always kept the office loud and lively so you are sure to never get tired. Darrell, though I never helped him with any assignments, always brought positivity and laughs to the team. And Talisa! As the finance associate, she does everything in the finance department. Whenever anyone took a week off, Talisa would step right in to fill that void. And she was incredibly approachable and helpful – if you ever get scared, ask her for help! Not only did I learn about office life in general, but I also got to learn about it from a great team.
I was the only intern in finance, but fortunately, I made friends with a few others in development and education thanks to intern program. To celebrate the summer, a couple interns and I took trips to the beach. A little later in the program, the interns were given the opportunity to go backstage at the Met. We saw everything from the sets to the rosin box. It was my first time standing on the beautiful stage. I can’t tell you how legendary that stage is for me! I dreamed to dance on that stage one day, and I finally got to stand on it. As an ex-ballet dancer, I was sort of hyperventilating. No worries. I’m fine. Totally chill.
After only a few weeks, American Ballet Theatre has given me so many new great memories I can add to the books. I felt challenged and met great people along the way. I learned more about finance in eight weeks than in my first year at college. In addition, the finance department was so welcoming as to offer me a full time job after the internship program was completed. I am incredibly honored and excited to work with them for a couple more weeks! I could not speak more highly of the finance department and my experiences there!
Angela Sheehan
Finance Intern
Summer 2019
abtinterns 
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