The Camden Property Trust Internship was a full-time 12-week experience. The internship program was rewarding, organized, fun, challenging, and unique! It was great working for such a respectable company. Camden is at the top in the NMHC’s Top Performing Real Estate Investment Trusts in 2014, ranking at #5 in unit rank amongst other REITs. Intern housing. I remember how excited I was when I was offered the internship; especially when I found out I would be given my very own beautiful and furnished one-bedroom apartment at Camden Westchase Park! The day I moved in, I received a handwritten note from the staff welcoming me to the family. I felt so spoiled! It was great not having to drive to work every day. I lived in the very same place my residents were living, so I quickly learned the Westchase area and was able to relate to everyone who came into the leasing office.

The apartment was FULLY furnished by CORT Furniture with a bed, toiletries, a TV, kitchenware, and even a toaster! My responsibilities. What was best about the internship program was that I was in total control my development as an employee and I was able to get exactly what I put in. Along with leasing apartments, I also set up several resident events, maintained social media, created Excel spreadsheets and analyzed budgets, and ensured that the community was always in tip-top shape. I was never sitting idle and I was always learning! It was also very easy and comfortable to ask my managers to take on more responsibilities. Understanding the industry. I also had the opportunity to spend time with many people within the company because I shadowed in different departments every few weeks... I spent time with our maintenance team, where I learned what keeps a community working and our residents happy. I learned the process of making an apartment home ready for a new resident to move in and also the process of maintaining our beautiful grounds. It is worth noting that our maintenance team is actually who our residents see the most, and that’s something I had not considered before.

Here I am pressure-washing the sidewalk with our groundskeeper, Will. It was not easy! I spent some time at the Corporate Regional Office in Tampa, FL with our Regional Vice President and our District Manager, where I learned what it takes to be a leader. I wanted to know what it took to get to where they are today, and I learned so much. I also spent time with our bookkeeper, our marketing director, our real estate investment team, and our landscape director. Each and every person I met played a vital role in keeping such a large company running smoothly and effectively. I was completely absorbed in learning everything there is to learn in the apartment industry! Exploring different communities. I was also blessed to visit each Camden Apartments in Tampa. Each had its own personality, whether it was older or newer, had different landscaping, different colored themes, or different amenities, like a dog park. What was truly special was that each community treated me as a part of the Camden family. As soon as I walked into a community, I’d get a hug! I saw the ins and outs of what makes Camden such a successful real estate investment trust, which is something that not everyone in the company had the opportunity to do. As an undergraduate student at the University of Florida, it was definitely eye opening to get a little taste of the 40-hour workweek. I soon learned how important it was to have a work-life balance. Consequently, Camden made it very easy and I loved coming to work every day. I saw Living Excellence in every part of the company. Check out my last blog post, Why I Enjoyed by Camden Internship Part One: Leadership about the different leadership opportunities I came across during my experience. And, tune into my next blog post to learn more about what Living Excellence meant to me. A little bit about Maurielle: Occupation at Camden: Leasing Consultant Intern at Camden Westchase Park in Tampa, Florida Secret Talent: Oil painting and graphic design Three words that describe her: “Never give up.”