Sophia Celentano has big career goals, so when she was offered an internship at Oglivy, she was ecstatic. There’s just one problem: She lives in South Carolina, hours away from the company’s offices in New Jersey. So, she did what any career-minded young woman would do and decided to commute to the office by plane rather than move and pay extortionate rent fees. Her super-commuter routine was so impressive, she’s gone viral for it on TikTok.
To be fair, Celentano only has to be physically in the office one day a week. So to her, it made sense to simply get up early, hop a flight, then Uber from the airport to the office before heading home later that same night. To her, it was no big deal.
“When I first started, I’d get up at like 3 a.m. to get ready for the plane ride, but now I wake up around 3:30 a.m. or 3:45 a.m. I do my makeup and hair first, put on my business casual outfit, and then I get my bag ready,” she told Business Insider. “I usually pack a lunch, some comfortable clothes, and then bring a coffee to go.”
@sophiacelentano48 day 2 commuting from charleston to new jersey🫶 #fyp #foryou #commuter #corporateintern #adagencyintern
When Celentano flies back at night, it’s either to Charleston, where her parents live, or to Richmond, Virginia, where her boyfriend lives. She says when she’s at home, her parents drive her to the airport at around 4:30 a.m. and she’s through security and at the gate by about 5:15 a.m., when boarding starts.
Her flight from Charleston to Newark is about two hours, and she calls an Uber as soon as she lands. “I get to the office usually around 8:30 or 8:45 a.m., and that’s when I start my full 9-to-5 workday. It can be a tiresome commute, but I think it’s worth it,” she said.
When work is done, Sophia Celentano carpools to Newark Penn Station before grabbing a train back to the airport to head home. There, she tends to change into some more comfortable clothes before waiting for her flight home at around 9 p.m. Thankfully, she works remotely the next day so she gets to sleep in a bit!
Many people wonder whether or not Celentano could possibly be making any money or if it’s costing her more to actually do this internship, she says this arrangement is a financial no-brainer.
@sophiacelentano48 I spoke too soon y’all my flight home was cancelled tonight EWR is a MESS rn💀posting this en route to LGA bc we had to book another flight lol #fyp #foryou #summerinternship #supercommuter #marketingintern #summerintern
“A lot of people are interested in how much money I’m saving. I book my flights about three to four weeks out so they’re pretty cheap,” she explains. “My flights are around $100 there and back and then I pay about $100 for Ubers between the office and airport. If I lived in the New York City or New Jersey area, I’d be spending thousands of dollars a month on rent alone.”
She adds that having a better work-life balance is a major bonus, though she gets that not everyone could hang with what she’s doing. For her, it works — she loves it!
