Colleges Student Flies into Newark for Internship, Says it’s Cheaper than Living in NYC

Sophia Celentano goes the extra mile for her summer internship in New York City — well, more like 600 air miles.

The 21-year-old has making a flying commute into Newark Liberty International Airport from Charleston, South Carolina, weekly since the beginning of June, CNBC Make It  reported.

Celentano landed a corporate communications and marketing internship with Ogilvy Health located in Parsippany, New Jersey, according to her LinkedIn. She works remotely, but is expected in the office on Wednesdays.

After doing the math, Celentano figured out it’d be cheaper to fly in once a week rather than paying rent in New York City or Parsippany.

The University of Virginia student estimated the costs of a short-term lease and living expenses at $4,250; whereas, the costs of round trip flights, ubers, and food for 10-week was $2,000 less, the New York Post reported.

“I didn’t think twice about it,” Celentano, told CNBC Make It.

Celentano wakes up at 3:00 a.m and heads to the airport. Her flight to Newark takes about two hours, and then she’ll Uber to the office.

“The most difficult part is definitely having to wait for a couple hours at the Newark airport before my flight home.” Celentano told the Post.

She typically get home at 11:00 p.m., and sleep in until 8:00 a.m. the next day.

Celentano said she’s not the only intern in her office flying in on Wednesday. One of her colleagues comes in from Atlanta, Georgia, once a week.

The college student went viral on TikTok after posting a couple videos explaining her lengthy work commute.

“A lot of people also think that I’m probably driving myself crazy mentally and physically getting up that early and taking two planes a day, but it honestly is not that difficult for me,” Celentano said.   “I like traveling a lot — I like the adventure.”

But as much as Celentano loves travel and adventure, she said it was more important for her to be close to family and friends this summer.

“Obviously, moving to a new city can be exciting, and it’s great to push yourself outside of your comfort zone, but that kind of change is not what I was craving in my life right now,” Celentano  told CNBC. “I’m grateful to have found an employer that supports that. Ironically, having a longer commute has helped me have a healthier work-life balance.”

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