Meet the 2022 Crew – An Interchange Internship
Towards the end of 2022, Interchange inducted our first cohort of interns, with Managing Consultant Nick Brandon-Jones and Creative Manager Felix Johnson at the helm. They originally sought two creative and two consulting interns, but all good plans are made to be broken and the calibre of applicants was so high that we ended up with five interns; Cameron, Niki, Jeffrey, Rhys and Sophie. Last week, as the 2022 crew’s time with us ended after a four-month program, we sat down with the interns to find out more about their time here at Interchange.
Tell me about your background, what brought you to Interchange?
Cameron: I recently finished up a Bachelor of Arts/Commerce at Monash University. While I was scouring for grad roles utilising either one of my degrees, I found an internship available here at Interchange. The role was surprising since it requested both of my degrees; that’s a rare one!
Niki: I am finishing my Master of Art and Cultural Management at the University of Melbourne and an internship was required as part of the degree. I was intrigued when I saw the job posted on the uni site and decided to apply as this was the first time I had heard of a creative consultancy.
Jeffrey: I completed an Economics degree in 2020 and am finishing a Law degree this year. I’ve delved headfirst into the world of consulting before, and for this experience I particularly wanted to work somewhere that was creative, collaborative, challenging and a whole lot of fun. Interchange came at the perfect time!
Rhys: I’ve grown up in Sydney most of my life and have studied psychology of late, I am particularly interested in drugs and addiction. Outside of that I do a lot of gardening and play in a band. I finished studying in November and wanted an opportunity to dip my toes into the real world of Interchange. What brought me here was the openness of Interchange to consider people from a range of backgrounds, as I didn’t think neuropsychology had much to do with business consulting.
Sophie: I recently graduated from my honours degree in psychology. I was keen to get some experience in the corporate world, however, was worried about the dry nature of most consulting roles. Interchange’s creative approach won me over.
What’s been your favourite part of the internship and why?
Cameron: There is a stupendous range of activities available here for me to jump in on and get cracking. Any interests or talents I have, I can just mention them and they’ll be accommodated for. This has enabled me to grow so much in such a short amount of time.
Niki: It’s gotta be the trip to Sydney with all the awesome interns! We had a blast with a ton of shits and gigs. Plus, getting to know the fantastic team and how they welcomed us with open arms and guided us on our journey. The time and effort that has been put into this internship has made the experience unforgettable.
Jeffrey: I’ve loved getting to know everyone’s stories and the diverse paths they’ve taken to get to Interchange. I’ve also loved bonding with the interns (and can’t wait to see them in Melbourne in a few weeks).
Rhys: I have loved the creative brainstorm element of the internship. Time seems to fly so quickly when you are just talking to people trying to come up with any sort of idea. Nothing seems to be off limits.
Sophie: I love the casual, thought-provoking conversations that take place in our office, where we explore topics such as psychological safety, micro-aggressions and neurodiversity. It’s inspiring to see everyone brainstorming creative ideas on how we can apply these concepts to our work at Interchange and in our personal lives.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
Cameron: Making music! That’s my ‘thing’ outside of work. Guitar, bass, drums, whatever. I love to jam. I also work at a video game store and naturally play (and have played) a lot of video games. I like ‘em!
Niki: Well, I’m a big bookworm and love getting lost in a good read, especially anything with a mythological element. When I’m not hiding in a book, you’ll find me chasing the next festival, I love dancing and I’m passionate about fashion so love putting together unique and imaginative outfits, drawing inspiration from my background in costume design for the theatre.
Jeffrey: When I’m not working, I enjoy writing, working out and exploring different Sydney suburbs with my boyfriend for new cuisines and places to eat.
Rhys: I love writing music. I like the idea of one small idea turning into a fully-fledged song.
Sophie: Going for a long walk and listening to a podcast, cooking with my housemates, or trying a new wine bar.
Favourite ‘guilty pleasure’ tv show?
Cameron: Alas, nothing’s guilty to me! I like cartoons too much to be embarrassed about what I watch. I’ve recently been rewatching Xavier: Renegade Angel produced by Adult Swim. Its sole live character is played by John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants, so that alone provides too much for me to love about it.
Niki: Hands down Arrested Development. It’s my go-to.
Jeffrey: I am a Survivor superfan! I also loved The Traitors UK (and its fascinating exploration of group dynamics and psychology) and am deep into the newest season of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Rhys: Rick and Morty. Nothing guilty about The Simpsons so I can’t use that one.
Sophie: Love island UK. I wish it wasn’t, but you did say ‘guilty’!
Would you rather fight 100 frog-sized pandas, or 3 panda-sized frogs?
Cameron: 100 frog-sized pandas. I would corral them into a small area where I could subsequently sell half of them for scientific research and retain the other half as my little panda family on a little private island.
Niki: 100 frog-sized pandas. No way I’m going near a giant frog.
Jeffrey: Ideally, I would like them all to be my friends, but I think I could take on 100 frog-sized pandas (the alternative sounds very scary).
Rhys: 100 frog sized pandas. Less surface area for those panda muscles so I don’t reckon they’ll be as strong. A Panda sized frog would just jump and squash me almost straight away I reckon.
Sophie: 100 frog sized Pandas. I’m already short enough, the giant frogs would eat me alive. Also, 100 mini pandas would be unbelievably cute.
If you are interested in hearing more about Interchange Internships, email us at internship@interchange.com.au