on June 16, 2011 / by Downtown Dallas Inc. / in Blog Posts, Clean and Safe

My name is Betsy Acklen and I am a marketing intern at Downtown Dallas, Inc. for the summer. I am from Flowood, Mississippi. I attend Mississippi State University, home of the bulldogs and our claim to fame, the cowbell.

Even though I am new to living in Dallas, I am familiar with the area, and I decided to make downtown my residence for the summer. Downtown living has been a new and exciting adventure.

What I like best about Downtown is that it has a hometown feel. I am able to walk most everywhere I want to go. There are restaurants and fun venues surrounding me. I live in a building where there is a market and restaurant in the lobby, so life is pretty convenient.

Sure some may say there are tons of things to do downtown, but for me it is the people that make the community that much better. I’ve been able to meet people very easily… everyone is so friendly and I just welcome the southern charm Dallasites have to offer.

You can easily tell who’s been living here for a while because everyone knows them. Quite popular to say the least! They also contribute to that hometown feeling. They invite you into a conversation or introduce you to the bartender, making you feel more at home. They want visitors to enjoy and love downtown as much as they do.

In these past two weeks, I have grown to love downtown and all that it was to offer. It’s such a vibrant place!

Aside from reaping the benefits of living and playing downtown, my internship also has been a great learning experience. As most people are on their first “real jobs”, I was very nervous the first day. I had no clue what I was getting myself into … but now I’m finally applying what I’ve learned in lectures and books. I have learned more in the past two weeks from reading and going to meetings about the “real world” than I thought I ever would. I have attended some interesting meetings that left me challenging my perspective on things. I am headed toward the end of my road in college and look to gather my own opinions and experiences so that I can apply them during my last year of school.

Downtown Dallas, Inc. is in the Chase Tower on the 46^th floor. The view from our office is breathtaking. Most people will say what a nice luxury it is to have a view like this one, DDI looks at it as inspiration to making the view better and reminding them of the task at hand.

Where to some, a job is a job; at Downtown Dallas, Inc. it is more of a community. There are not specific departments; there are people that represent each area. They vary from community relations to transportation and safety; all supportive to reach the common goal of making their “community” successful.

Today I was able to go to the Dallas Mavericks Victory Parade and Celebration, another perk of being a newfound Dallasite and/or having a fun internship where it is important to go out and experience what you are trying to get others to see. Both are fine with me.

I wish I could say that I have been to a victory parade for the Mississippi State Bulldogs for bringing home a national championship to Starkville, BUT I CAN’T. We’re still working on it. However, I can say that I have been to many parades in my life. None of those parades can even compare to how big this one was. It was probably around 300,000 people plus.

One thing I do not enjoy is being packed in with all kinds of crowds on a hot Texas summer day; however, it gives me chills to see the accomplishment of something great through trials and tribulations. The fans were cheering them on and congratulating them for a job well done. I know Dallas is a big city and it has millions of people that live in it, but it takes true fans to come out in the heat, or take off from work to help share the special moments of victory with the team.

I am very thankful that I got to participate in a great event that will forever be historical to the Dallas Mavericks as they won their first National Championship! I look forward to all the opportunities ahead of me this summer living in Downtown Dallas and working for Downtown Dallas, Inc. For me, it has only begun.

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