Gillian Rosenberg is a rising sophomore who recently finished her Princeton Startup Immersion Program (PSIP) internship at Merlin Ventures in Tel Aviv, Israel. She and her fellow PSIP interns have spent the summer not only immersed in the startup companies they are working at but immersed in the beauty, history, and culture of Tel Aviv.
Rosenberg reflects on her summer experience:
Right now, I'm sitting on a bench looking out at the sunset on the Mediterranean Sea. The bench sits on the Tayelet, Hebrew for Boardwalk, which stretches about 5km from the top of Tel Aviv to the Jaffa Port along the sea. In a way, the Tayelet represents my time in the internship program and living in Tel Aviv this summer.
First, the Tayelet represents all the diversity I have been exposed to on this trip. The Tayelet is full of people speaking so many different languages. There are people of all ages, from kids running around to old couples going for strolls. There are people selling drinks and others putting up temporary art exhibits.
I've also been exposed to diversity through the trips we have taken as part of the program. For example, we visited Jerusalem a place that has significants to many different religions.
This diversity is mirrored in our PSIP group. The students are from around the world and come from many different backgrounds. Getting to know their stories has been a highlight of my trip.
The second way the Tayelet represents my PSIP experience has to do with the boardwalk's pace and atmosphere. People are running, walking, biking, scootering, dancing, playing soccer, walking their dogs… everyone is doing something a little different, but everyone is moving.
Once you get on the Tayelet, you must move or get swept up in the crowd. This is similar to how it felt to get started with PSIP. We were in a different country, with a different group of friends, where everyone spoke a different language; we needed to adjust quickly and keep moving. There is no watching from the side, just like on the Tayelet.
I've also felt this in my work environment, where my coworkers trusted me right from week one with tasks that had significant consequences. There is no time for hesitation; you have to jump right in. What makes PSIP so unique and exciting is the immersive part of the experience.
The community aspect of the boardwalk is the final way the Tayelet mirrors my experience on PSIP. Even though everyone has slightly different reasons for being there and may move at different paces, I feel a sense of oneness in the way that everyone has come to this place at this moment in time.
Similarly, in PSIP, I felt that sense of oneness and community as we all jumped into this experience together. And although we may come from different backgrounds and move at different paces, this shared adventure has created lasting connections among us.
PSIP students intern with key decision makers at emerging startup companies in New York City, Shanghai, and Tel Aviv. In this 10-week summer program students gain real-world experience, make valuable connections, and create lifelong memories.
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