Meet the first of our 2018 summer interns: Notre Dame’s Chris Brendza
2018 has already been a banner year for 3Points interns — whereas we’d previously only had one intern in the office at a time, and only over summer breaks, we’ve already had two Northwestern interns (Adam & Anthony) helping us out through the first two quarters of this year. And this summer, we’re excited to have a record three interns in the office.
It may not feel like summer in Chicago yet, but we just welcomed the first of those summer interns this week. Chris Brendza just finished his junior year at Notre Dame (following in the footsteps of our 2017 summer intern, ND’s Anna Bradley), where he is majoring in marketing and English. Learn a little more about Chris via the Q&A below!
What interested you about 3Points?
One of the especially compelling aspects about 3Points was its nature as a small firm. Working closely with a group of people in a smaller office can really foster a tight-knit and collaborative atmosphere, and that is something I strove to find — I didn’t want to be lost in a huge office. This group can sustain that tight-knit culture, while keeping its ideas innovative and dynamic — a combination that is integral for success in this field.
What are you looking forward to learning this summer?
I’m looking forward to learning about and diving into the creative process in the office — from how ideas are cultivated, to how content is created, to how deliverables are produced. Not only am I excited to start contributing to that process, but I’m intrigued to see how that interaction and collaboration works outside of an academic setting. I’m also interested to learn how a firm’s social media accounts are run. Diving into the built-in analytics platforms behind Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn isn’t something I’ve done before, but it’s something I want to gain experience with.
What has been your favorite class at ND?
I would say my favorite class so far at ND was the University Seminar that I took freshmen year — a class titled “On the Road: Literature of the Quest.” I didn’t come into Notre Dame planning on adding a major in English, but this class really reignited a love for literature that I think (for most of us) tends to fall by the wayside in high school. I was lucky enough to have an incredible professor — whose classes I have taken again since then — who built a great syllabus, as we read everything from Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur to Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. It was a class that really changed the course of my academic career.
What’s something interesting about Notre Dame that most people might not know?
One thing that jumps out at some people about Notre Dame that differentiates it from other universities is its lack of Greek Life. Even though it may initially turn away some people who want that experience, at ND it really emphasizes the community and culture within the dorms. People attach themselves to the dorms they were randomly placed in at the start of freshman year — adopting the traditions and the stereotypes of each — and generally live in them until their senior year. My college experience wouldn’t be the same in a different dorm — shout out to Zahm House — and that community is what I love about ND.
What types of things do you like to do outside of school?
Although this spring we didn’t get a ton of sunshine over in northern Indiana, one of my favorite things about ND is that as soon as the weather turns warm for the summer, it seems like the entire campus migrates out onto the quads and gets active. Pickup football, baseball, or basketball with friends are some of the activities you’ll see me either participating in or trying to set up (to varying degrees of success). Recently, I’ve been trying to up my skills in Spikeball — a pretty new game that is basically what you’d get if volleyball and four square had a baby. When I can’t be outside, I’ll dabble in my share of video games (I think everyone plays Fortnite now). I also recently purchased a Kindle, which has helped me jump back into reading casually outside of school.
You grew up in the area here — what are you looking forward to doing in Chicago while you’re back this summer?
I think growing up in the suburbs made me a little complacent in experiencing everything Chicago has to offer as a kid. My town borders Chicago proper, but because of traffic, it can be a pain to travel into the city, so there are a lot of activities and events that I haven’t experienced before (or haven’t experienced in a long time) that I’d love to experience this summer. For one, I want to continue seeing all the great museums Chicago has to offer, as I haven’t been to most of them since I was a kid. (Heads up, the Museum of Science and Industry is as amazing as I remember as a second grader.) I also will continue going to as many Cubs games as my budget allows, and I want to go to a few of the popular street fests that I haven’t seen yet.
