NEIGHBORHOOD NETWORK BY ANDREA PARK
It’s 11:15 pm on July 16th, 2004. The air is cold, the stars are out, and children are laughing. Someone yells out, “GHOST IN THE GRAVEYARD!”. I start running at full speed to the front porch, hoping that I don’t get tagged. I reach the front porch and I am safe. My neighbors are laughing, and I find myself wishing that this night would never end.
The countless nights I spent chasing my brother and our neighborhood friends remind me of a time when I had no cares in the world. At the time, I did not realize how making these friends could make such an impact on my future. One of my neighbors, who is five years older than me, was always creative and full of life inspired me to push my creativity. However, when he graduated, we lost touch. We reconnected on LinkedIn and liked each other’s Facebook posts, but nothing more than that... until I had the opportunity to apply for an internship with the company he works at. I reached out and asked if I could shadow him for a day, and he happily agreed. He created an amazing morning full of meetings and great networking opportunities, something I would have never had an opportunity to do without knowing him.
Who knew that chasing around neighbors could have such an impact on my future? That being said, maybe I should’ve let him win Ghost In The Graveyard a couple more times.
