1. Tell us about your internship and the work that you are doing this summer.
Some of the work that I did at my internship this summer includes research for the Women’s Sports Foundation’s annual Individual Sportswoman of the Year award, writing bios for the top 10 athletes for this award, reviewing and evaluating scholarship and grant applications, writing bios for the selected grantees, and attending and assisting with local events and sports clinics with various WSF community partners.
2. What is the coolest thing about your internship or the company/organization where you intern?
My favorite thing about working at WSF this summer was the people. Everyone in my office was so warm and welcoming and they genuinely wanted me to learn about the non-profit industry and have an overall positive experience. I looked forward to going to work everyday because I always knew that I had an office full of incredible people cheering me on the whole way. I learned that it’s good to ask questions and that it’s okay to make mistakes, so long as I learn from them. I was so fortunate to intern in such a positive and encouraging work environment!
3. What has surprised you about being an intern?
I was surprised and excited to have been entrusted with such important and detail-oriented tasks. The work I did over the course of my 10 weeks with WSF was not only published on their website, but also discussed in large meetings and shared with all of the employees in the office. I had to present my research and advocate for the athletes who I felt were most deserving of the award. To that end, I never felt like I was there to simply assist with minute, meaningless tasks — rather, I felt like an employee whose contributions were genuinely valued.
4. How has this internship influenced your future career plans?
This internship has definitely influenced my future career plans. I really loved doing research for the Sportswoman of the Year award and writing bios that were eventually published on their website. As an English major, I’ve always enjoyed writing and been an incredibly detail-oriented person, so going through the entire research and selection process, as well as writing about the accomplishments of the athletes that were selected, was a really enjoyable and rewarding experience. The whole internship was very multi-faceted and I feel like my experiences can translate to any field of work. If I do not pursue a career in a non-profit, I think I would really love to pursue a career in publishing.
5. Any internship advise to pass on to other Holy Cross students?
If I could pass on any advice, I would tell future Holy Cross students to always ask questions. Your supervisors are there to help you learn and teach you about their industry and it’s always best to triple check your work and confirm your thoughts before they get shared with the entire office or published for the world to see. I would also say that it’s good to be open to new and different experiences! You may be surprised at what career you eventually decide to pursue and you may love something you never even previously considered.
