A little bit of hope for those still recruiting!

For some context -- I come from a lower-middle class family. We grew up, my sister and I, not like the rest of the kids in my school. We couldn't afford school lunch, and were essentially living paycheck to paycheck. From this moment, I knew that I wanted to change my parents life around, and that the torture they endured was not for nothing. 

Went to college. Non-target. Back in the day, I didn't realize what this meant. The extra work you have to put in. Freshman year, I was a stud. 4.0 GPA, starting to get involved into clubs, I really thought I had a chance in the corporate world. That's when it all hit me. BAM, all of a sudden a women in a white coat, told me that I have cancer. Once again, I didn't exactly know what this meant until, I had to go through the experience. And you know what, it sucked. It really sucked, but let me tell you, I really learned a lot. I learned who my close friends were, and more importantly how quick things can change and how moping around and being sad really wasn't gonna change anything. 

Just like many of you, I struggled with recruiting. I came into college thinking I wanted to do consulting, when I realized that this wasn't the path for me. Relatively compared to my peers, I went down the Investment Banking path, but unlike them, I was far behind. In my opinion, really far behind...networking, interview prep, etc. But, I still continued. I knew how important this was. Rejection after rejection after rejection. Overthinking, discouragement, lack of confidence is the result of these rejections. Trust me I know. 

Finally, I got a interview. Top bank, but being I had no one to prep with and went through this alone, I bombed. First interview, only interview at the time, I BOMBED. At this point most banks at the street had filled up there spots. I had almost lost hope. Almost until, one weekend, I went back home, and got a big slap to the face reminding me how much this job meant. This "light-bulb" moment, really pushed me. At this point, in my head it was all or nothing. AND FINALLY, I got another interview, for a really competitive group as well. This time, I wasn't letting anything get ruined. And I'm so happy to say I got it. I GOT THE IB INTERNSHIP! I've been through my fair share of trauma and obstacles, but if I can do it so can you. Hopefully this story helps those that are on the verge of giving up!