The Intern Games are coming. This is not a drill... Pack your sunscreen.

Warning: this newsletter may cause unexpected inspiration.

AuthorAuthor

Manny Duenas & Kathryn Mendaros
July 16, 2025

CAPTAIN’S LOG 🚢

Captain’s Log – Stardate 2025.07.14

✨ “What We Learned from 800+ New Friends in 4 Ports”

This summer, we set sail. From lakeside pizza in Toronto to a surprise-packed evening at Figma HQ in NYC, Intern Ship docked in four cities — and in each one, we discovered something powerful:

📍 The best events aren’t the biggest. They’re the ones where people feel like they belong.
📍 You don’t need fancy programming to spark connection — just a good vibe and a reason to show up.
📍 Young people everywhere are craving real-world community — and they’re ready to build it together.

Here’s what happened at each port — and what we’ll carry forward as we keep sailing.

Next stop: San Francisco.

Summer’s not over yet! Full steam ahead!

— Manny, Captain of the Intern Ship 🚢

UPCOMING EVENTS 📣

☕️💬 Something’s Brewing...

Mark your calendar for a morning that hits just right. We’re planning a chill, charity-driven event at one of the coolest coffee shops in town—oh, and it just happens to be in a park.

Expect good people, great music (think sunrise DJ vibes), warm sips, and conversations that spark real connections. Whether you're catching up with old friends or making new ones, this will be your new favorite way to start the day.

🌞 INTERN GAMES 2025

100 interns. 1 champion team. Zero chill.

🗓️ Coming August 3rd, 2025

This August, the lawn becomes the arena. The iced coffee becomes your fuel. And your awkward small talk? That becomes strategy.

Welcome to Intern Games—our flagship summer showdown where 100 brave interns compete in a gauntlet of ridiculous, ridiculous(ly fun) physical and mental challenges.
You’ll arrive solo. You’ll network your way into a team. Then it’s game on.

Think:
🧩 Brainy quests
🧃 Field-day chaos
📣 Epic team chants (or mild shouting)
☀️ Summer picnic vibes
🎁 A prize so good we’re keeping it secret (aka we’re still picking it)

This isn’t just networking. It’s netplaying.
This isn’t just a game day. It’s the game day.
And it might just be the most fun you’ll have all summer. (Unless your team loses. In that case... character development.)

Full details and sign-up link dropping soon.

ATTENTION: OPPORTUNITY INCOMING 📣

New Grad 48 Hour Deadline

🎯 NEW GRAD 48-HOUR WARNING: Your future self is gonna thank you for this.

Let me paint the scene:

You graduated. You're hustling. You’ve applied to 72 jobs. Every single one says you need 3+ years of experience... for an entry-level role.

Cool cool cool 🫠

If you’re a first-gen college grad, underemployed, or just plain stuck, this is your sign:

@COOP's fall 2025 fellowship → priority deadline is THIS FRIDAY (July 18).

 💥 It’s FREE
💥 It’s 16 weeks
💥 It’s your springboard into data analytics, digital marketing, or financial services
💥 It’s helped thousands of COOP alums land jobs at Google, JPMorgan, TikTok, Barclays, and sooooo many more

Location check: NYC, LA, SF/Bay, Chicago, Miami — if you’re within 2 hours, you’re good.

 🚨 Repeat: THIS. FRIDAY
 📩 Click HERE to Apply Now!

Don’t let “maybe next time” be the reason you’re still scrolling job boards this fall.

Tell a friend. Reshare this. Or shoot your shot and apply. I gotchu.

OFFLINE IS THE NEW ONLINE 😎

The Secret to Getting Hired Might Be... Helping Other People Get Hired

We loved this recent article on Psychology Today: 🔗 The Job Search Process Is Changing

It’s a reflection on how hard the job search has become—and how much more human and effective it could be if we chose connection over isolation. The author shares real examples: a colleague who submitted 2,500 applications over eight months, and yet still struggled to land interviews—even with a stellar résumé. The system isn’t working like it used to.

But the article doesn’t just dwell on the problem. It offers a powerful solution that aligns beautifully with what we’re building at Intern Ship: a culture of mutual support.

Instead of focusing only on personal advancement, the piece encourages those of us who are employed to:

  • Check open roles at your company and think of people who’d be a great fit. Reach out. Make intros.

  • Nourish your network before you need it—stay connected, follow up, and support former colleagues.

  • Respond to people reaching out. Even if you can’t hire them, a quick conversation can lift their spirits and renew their hope.

  • Share your playbook. If you just landed a job, don’t keep your insights to yourself—pass them on to others.

  • Pay generosity forward. If someone helped you, help two others. Build momentum. Make it a habit.

💡 Favorite quote:

“If someone has reviewed your resume, offer to do it for two other people and double the help that is out there. If someone connected you to a colleague, do the same for three of your colleagues and triple the strength of the network.”

This isn't just about being nice—it’s about building the kind of support system we’ll want around us when we’re the one in transition someday. Helping others today could be the reason someone helps you tomorrow.

At Intern Ship, we believe this is how lasting impact begins. One act of generosity. One connection. One person who remembers to help back. If we build this into our culture, the result won’t just be a stronger network—it’ll be a movement.

And maybe, just maybe, it’ll be the thing that helps someone land a job when the system doesn’t.

MENTOR SHIP 💎

🧠 When AI Took His Job, He Built One That Could Help You Get Yours

Meet the man behind CareerBuddy GPT—and how his AI-powered job-hunting assistant could change everything for recent grads.

Mark Quinn didn’t plan to become an AI creator. He was a seasoned professional working in tech operations—until AI came for his job.

In 2023, like thousands of others, Quinn found himself abruptly unemployed. Layoffs swept across the tech sector, and ironically, the same emerging AI tools that excited the industry had made his role obsolete. For months, he sent out résumé after résumé, scrolling job boards, crafting cover letters, tweaking LinkedIn—but nothing stuck.

So he did something unexpected:
He built his own AI-powered job search assistant.

And not just for himself.

🚀 CareerBuddy GPT: A Job Hunt Sidekick for the AI Era

Quinn created CareerBuddy GPT, an AI tool designed to help job seekers land their dream roles—especially those feeling invisible in today’s competitive, often confusing market.

Here’s what it does:

  • Reads the job description and your résumé side by side to assess alignment. It points out gaps, skills you’re underselling, and where you might need to shift your narrative.

  • Rewrites résumés and cover letters to match the tone, language, and focus of the posting—cutting through the “I don’t know what to say” spiral.

  • Helps with outreach—offering personalized messaging suggestions, and even helping you decide whether to email someone directly or connect on LinkedIn.

  • Preps you for interviews—simulating mock Q&As and even analyzing your interviewer’s background to suggest smarter responses.

  • And yes, even mindset coaching—because sometimes the biggest barrier is burnout or fear of rejection.

It’s part strategist, part therapist, and part job-hunt sherpa. And it's all powered by AI.

WELLNESS MATTERS 💮

mental health hack: pretend your brain is a laptop from 2003

@delusionaldara

Our brains really are just computers bruh #adhdhacks #depression #productivitytips #adhdtiktok

SOMETHING FOR FUNSIES💀

The Emotional Rollercoaster of Employment in 7 Seconds

@lifeofaaronw

THEY ALL THE SAME TBH😂😂

SOMETHING FOR THE SOUL🎶

Chill House Music Mix & Outdoor Cooking In Cozy Cabin

HELP US IMPROVE INTERN SHIP
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