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Ready, Set, Rally: A Day-in-the-Life of a Southwest Intern

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Explorer C

Backstage at Verizon Theatre for our Dallas RallyBackstage at Verizon Theatre for our Dallas Rally

Southwest is a Company where People work hard and play hard. This couldn’t have been more evident than in my first month as an Intern supporting the Culture Celebration Team in the Culture Services Department.

 

Ready, set, take off! With February being Southwest Rally Season, that has been the pace of our Team this past month.

 

What is a Southwest Rally? It is an opportunity to celebrate our legendary Culture, hear encouraging news from Senior Leadership, and mingle with Cohearts. The Southwest Rallies are a four-city tour held in various locations across our system. For 2018, these locations included Orlando, Nashville, Las Vegas, and Dallas. Each Rally kicks off with fun pre-program activities including games, prizes, and more. Once the program begins, we hear from some of our Executive Leaders. After the program, attendees head to an Expo and After Party where they can engage with interactive booths hosted by various Teams and departments in the Company. They can also enjoy free food and drinks, entertainment, and photo ops! What’s not to love?

 

Me with Chairman and CEO, Gary Kelly, at the Las Vegas RallyMe with Chairman and CEO, Gary Kelly, at the Las Vegas RallyAs an Intern supporting the Celebration Team, I had the opportunity to travel to Las Vegas to help execute the Rally. It was so cool to go behind-the-scenes and see all of the moving parts come together to make this event possible for our amazing Employees. The Expo and After Party are typically held outside; however, Las Vegas threw us a curve ball with a high wind advisory of 50 to 60 mph. With Safety as our No. 1 priority, our Team made the decision to move the event indoors. Although this was a setback in our “load in day,” I was able to closely observe event planning and problem solving as my Team made adjustments to best utilize the space within the Las Vegas Convention Center. This was the first time we’ve hosted this portion of the event inside; however, you would have never known because my Team did everything we could, with a smile on our faces, to make sure that the attendee experience was not compromised.

 

Both personally and professionally, my time and internship at Southwest has been nothing short of amazing. And, it’s only been one month!

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