The ad caught my eye as I scrolled down my news feed. It was dark blue and had a simple design with big bold letters. THE TRAVEL INTERN

It was straightforward and inviting – just enough to spark my curiosity. I clicked on the link, and it led me to the webpage of The Panoramic Soul (TPS), a travel and lifestyle blog, and the contest they were holding. Seeing the word “travel” was all it took. I was sold.

As an avid travel contest enthusiast, the chance to win an internship at a travel blog was just too good to be true; it combined the two things I’m most passionate about: travel and writing. I started on my entry immediately, a nearly one-thousand-word write-up explaining why I should be The Travel Intern. I was so excited that night in January that I didn’t care that it was 2 a.m., and I had to go to school the next day.

The initial high you get when you discover something exciting and new is always a good motivator.

I actually waited two full weeks before sending in my entry because I wanted to make sure it was absolutely perfect.

The wait for the first set of results was a long one, but when Valentine’s Day finally came around, I was still very nervous. According to TPS, over 90 applications had been received, but they were only accepting the top 30.

I was at a coffee shop with three of my friends when they posted the first set of semifinalists. Those who ranked 21st to thirtieth. I didn’t see my name. My mood shifted a little.

We were on our way home when they posted the next set of semifinalists; those who ranked 11th to twentieth. I still didn’t see my name. That was when I prematurely accepted defeat. I thought there was no way I could’ve made it to the top ten.

I was on my laptop already looking for another competition I could join when I got a message. It was from my other friend, someone who also applied to be The Travel Intern. In his message was a link and one word: “Congrats!” I opened the link. It was the final set of semifinalists – the top 10. I saw my name. I placed seventh.   To say I was over the moon would be an understatement. I was thrilled! On top of the world! Though it did help keep me grounded when I realized they’d misspelled my name, it still didn’t take away from the sheer excitement of knowing that I made it!

I survived Act I. Then it was time for Act II: The Test of Photography. The 30 semifinalists had to take a photo following one of two specific themes: Vagary (n. an unexpected journey) and Yugen (an awareness of the universe) and, along with that, write a 100- to 200-word caption. TPS would then narrow down the 30 semifinalists to 10 finalists.

Five percent of the score would be based on the number of reactions your entry had, so likes – and your network – mattered.

Heading into this round, I knew I’d have to put in a lot more effort than the other semifinalists; my skills as a photographer are decent at best and mediocre at worst. I’m far from perfecting the art of the point-and-shoot.

Scanning through what little travel photos I had on file, I managed to find a few pictures that, to me, spoke to both themes TPS had provided for us to follow. I went crazy trying to pick the best one to send in as my entry. Any free time I had between studying was devoted to finding the right filter for each picture, thinking of the perfect caption, and asking for second, third, and even fourth opinions on what would work the best. When I had narrowed it down to three pictures, I had my friends vote for which one they liked most. Two of the pictures tied. Ultimately, I decided to go with the photo I took when I found myself lost in Los Angeles and discovered The Last Bookstore. It’s one of my favorite travel stories to tell and one of my favorite pictures. Looking at it, I can’t help but reminisce. My Vagary.

I sent in my entry. By that time, it was mid-February.

They started posting everybody’s entries by early March. I could finally see what my fellow competitors had to offer. And wow. I was absolutely blown away by how incredible some of the entries were. It was like an art gallery – gorgeous sunsets, beautiful seascapes, majestic hillsides, a sky full of hot air balloons, an enchanting bonfire, and even a snow-covered mountain. Amazing photo compositions and compelling captions. A visual feast.

It was intimidating. And it was on. I started sending out the link to my entry to essentially all my Facebook friends and started campaigning for likes. If my entry couldn’t get as good a score as the others, at least I’d stand a fighting chance if I got enough likes. Five percent is five percent.

That was a jam-packed two weeks because while on my “like” campaign, I was also preparing for finals. Priorities had to be set. Or at least juggled. It was a relief when the voting period finally ended.

The results for Act II came out around the same time as my graduation. We were at the grocery store when I received the notification that the finalists had been revealed. The notification was from the same friend who informed me that I made it to the top 30. I was surprised to see 17 finalists instead of the originally slated 10. I saw my name. I placed third. I couldn’t believe it! Third place! It was cause for a double celebration (triple, really, since my sister was also graduating). That was an amazing week!

It was down to Act III: The Final Interview. The 17 finalists were going to be interviewed about their hopes, plans, and goals in terms of travel. TPS would then post our head shots, along with a memorable quote from our respective interviews on their Facebook page. Once again, 5% of the final score would be based on the number of likes your entry gets.

Now, let me say this – I am good speaker. I feel the most confident when I’m speaking, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get butterflies in my stomach before an important interview. As soon as they called in on Skype, I sat up and put on a smile. I was ready. I answered their questions as best I could and even had  some fun with it. Overall, it went smoothly, and I felt good about it. It was the first time I felt like I could win.

Now it was time for the hard part, getting people to like another photo, this time of my face. But the dynamic was different this time. In the time between Act I and Act II, I still had school to worry about, I focused on schoolwork to keep myself from being consumed by the competition, but for Act III, in the middle of April, I had nothing else to focus on. It was game time. 

I hunkered down and started my like campaign all over again.

The public voting was to end by late April, but at that point, I started to really doubt my chances. I wasn’t getting nearly as many likes as I did in Act II, and I started to wonder if my interview went as well as I thought it did. I started nitpicking at things I could’ve done better. Overthinking.

The voting period finally passed, and it was time for the people behind TPS to deliberate. I decided it was best to stay away from the internet for a while and take a break. The hard part was over.

The final results came out on May 1st, a Sunday. I was walking to church with my family when my phone started buzzing. They had started posting the winners, starting with the fifth placer. My heart skipped a beat. It wasn’t me.

I kept refreshing the page. The fourth placer was posted – not me, the third placer – not me, then the second placer. And that was when the mass started, and I forced myself to put my phone away and try to pay attention to the mass. I made it all the way to communion before I looked at my phone again.

The notification read “The Panoramic Soul tagged you in a post…” and that was all I needed to read. I won. I WON! I wanted to jump off the pew and run down the aisle. I refreshed the page on more time and confirmed it. I am The Travel Intern.

There were still 15 minutes to go before the mass concluded. It was the longest 15 minutes of my life.

I didn’t say a word to anyone until I was having dinner with my family. During a lull in the conversation, I looked at them and said with a straight face, “I won.” Their reactions were priceless.

Later that day, I sat down and read the caption explaining why they picked me, and it was one of the most validating things I’ve ever read. I’ve joined several travel contests over the past few years and have come so close to winning them that finally winning one out of hard work and so much effort, and getting to know why, made the victory taste even sweeter.

The journey toward becoming The Travel Intern was long, fun, challenging, nerve-wracking, and ultimately, rewarding.  I went into it with a lot of hope and excitement, but also a lot of nerves and self-doubt. It felt so good to be able to showcase my writing and creative skills after being buried under numbers and accounting books for so long, and it was amazing to get to know and talk to likeminded and inspiring people who are dreamers just like me. I’m looking forward to meeting you all.

I need to thank everyone who helped me through this whole process: my Facebook friends for their tolerance of my constant sharing and for their likes, my real-life friends for their opinions and encouragement, my family for the enthusiastic support every step of the way, and the people behind The Panoramic Soul for allowing this incredible journey to happen in the first place.