I came into the summer associate program with a lot of goals—become a better legal researcher, a better editor, a better communicator, etc. But a goal I haven’t spoken about as much is a personal one. As someone who is new to Miami, I really wanted to make at least one new friend in the city. Luckily, the Bilzin summer program supplied me with nine fantastic candidates. I am, of course, talking about the other summer associates.

Bilzin does a great job of providing opportunities for us to get to know each other, from a wine and cheese event the very first week to the fun of cooking a family-style dinner together to our competitive round of mini-golf at Puttshack. But I’m just as grateful for the plans we have made on our own.

Take, for instance, yesterday’s Mock Real Estate Closing. The Real Estate Group and Chief Legal Talent Officer Jessica Buchsbaum and Legal Talent Coordinator Betsi Cobas did an incredible job of planning and executing the mock transaction start to finish. They even organized a happy hour at Paperfish Sushi to celebrate our successfully closing of the “transaction.” But with the help of our very active group chat, the summer associates leveled the event up—we decided we would all wear pink for the occasion to match the Barbie theme.

The ten of us—plus Jessica—committing whole-heartedly to the dress code showed me how close-knit our group has become in just the past six weeks. I’m so glad I said yes when we planned our very first happy hour the day of orientation (ironically, also at Paperfish!) and have kept saying yes to invitations to lunch, shopping, and walks around Brickell.

Now, with only two weeks of the program left, I have begun reflecting on which of my summer goals I have met and which I’m still working on. I can say confidently that I’ve exceeded my goal of making one new friend by at least 900 percent.