Liberal Arts Major: French and Francophone Studies
Other Major: Journalism
Hometown: Altoona, Pennsylvania

What was the best part of your experience?

The best part of my experience was meeting so many people who were passionate about helping me find a job. Because this internship was my last "class" at Penn State, I was actively job searching while with USA Football, and my coworkers contributed by sending me job listings, offering to reach out to their contacts at different organizations, and checking my professional materials. The internship was a great transition between university and full-time employment because the people I worked with genuinely cared about helping me line up a job.

How did this experience impact you academically?

This experience greatly impacted my researching abilities because it was a research-heavy position. Rather than completing specific projects, one of my main tasks was to keep up with day-to-day publications and research regarding physical literacy, concussions, heat & hydration, and policy of not only American football leagues but rugby, soccer, and basketball leagues. Anytime I came across something worth translating into our football curriculum, I then began a project that dove deeply into a specific area, such as bio-banding or CTE prevention. Although I never had to write a research paper for USA Football, my general researching abilities greatly improved.

"The internship was a great transition between university and full-time employment because the people I worked with genuinely cared about helping me line up a job."

How will this experience impact your career goals?

This internship most impacted by career goals by showing me that I am not the kind of person who can work a 9-5 in a cubicle. My previous internship experiences were very hands-on; being in the field was my office. My internship was USA Football was located in a high-rise in downtown Indianapolis. The building was shared with a local bank, so we were on the 7th and 8th floors with very few windows and natural light. These are factors that are important to me as I move towards a full-time job because they certainly impact my productivity.