Diving into this environment primes your mind and person for change and cracks open new opportunities. Take them. 

Specifically, take chances with the people within this UO Ad family that you’ve never interacted with. Last year, this meant Macaihah and I trying to find our way to Droga, ending up 2.5 miles away with 13 minutes to make the visit, cramming into a cab and sprinting in the door just before the golden doors clamped shut. No better way to bond than to feel Tom’s “you almost fucked up big time” stare burning shame into the back of your necks.

Sometimes it’s a journey somewhere off the beaten path with people you’re only just beginning to know. Ambling through Central Park with Benson Wink and Steph Hastings on the way to Sylvia’s southern food in Harlem, I could never have told you in the moment that these would be the budding moments of two friendships I know will last my lifetime.

Whether by chicken n’ waffles or mutual creative inspiration, this trip will forge bonds more meaningful than One Show awards or job offers. Do your best to seek and sustain them.

- Cameron Kokes