Jess' blog
Class of 2008, Communication Major, from Negaunee, MI

Last spring I had the amazing opportunity to go to Washington D.C. and be part of the Washington Semester Program through The American University. As part of the Washington Semester program students were to choose an area which was most related to their major or one that interested them the most. I was part of the Journalism program. Throughout the 16 weeks in D.C most students took classes three days a week and had an internship two days a week.

Before I got to D.C. I was able to search an internship data base with hundreds of different internships available. At first it was a bit overwhelming because I had no idea where to start. Once I started searching I was able to narrow down my choices to what interested me the most.

While I was searching I came across the internship of my dreams. It was for Washington Sports and Entertainment working for the NBA's Washington Wizards. I am a sports fanatic so it had always been by dream to work for a professional sports team. I applied for the internship thinking I wasn't going to get it. A few weeks later I got a call from the Human Resources Director and she asked if I could come in for an interview but I told her I wasn't going to be in town until the first week in January. She said we could do a preliminary interview over the phone. I thought the interview went really well and was excited to finally meet her in person.

When I arrived in D.C. I took the Metro to the Verizon Center where the Wizards play their home games and met with the Human Resources Director. As she was talking to me she was speaking in a tone that implied I had already landed the internship before she formally asked me if I would take it. (I just want to let everyone know I applied for other internships as well and got offered positions at others too). I ended up taking an internship with the Washington Wizards in the Sales Department. It was one of the best choices I have ever made!

For the most part my duties included compiling many of their mass mailings to clients in the D.C. metro area including schools and churches and other recreation departments. I also put together databases of prospective clients, assisted in daily tasks within the department and volunteered in the other departments when I was needed.

I have two highlights I would like to share with you. The first highlight is when I got to interview the President of the Wizards, Susan O'Malley. For my journalism seminar class I had to do a profile on a person I admired or someone whose job I would like to have someday. I chose to interview Susan O'Malley. I went to my internship one Thursday and I had in my mind that I wanted to interview her for my profile piece but I thought she would never have time to sit down with one of the interns and let them ask her questions about her life, but she did!

Susan is the first woman to become President of an NBA franchise as well as a multi-facited sports and entertainment company. She was so down to earth and the interview turned out to be so much more than I ever could have imagined! She is my idol, I hope to be the second woman to become a president of an NBA franchise!

The second highlight I would like to share is when I was able to shadow the Communications department, specifically the public relations for a week during one of the Wizards home games. During that week I was able to attend one of the Wizards practices and watch when they would speak to the media after practice. During this time is when I got to meet many of the players! The home game that I was able to be with the PR department was against the Orlando Magic. I was able to go in the press room and set things up for the reporters who were covering the game, I was also able to go into the locker room before and after the game and meet the coaches and see how the media conducts their pre-game and post game interviews with the head coach and players.

Those are just a couple of the highlights from my internship with the Washington Wizards. I met incredible people and had experiences that I won't soon forget! Thanks again for reading and I look forward to posting an entry again soon!

Jess

Hey Everyone!

This is my first post. I am very excited about it! I am a senior here at SNC majoring in Communications, with a minor in Sociology.

I cannot believe four years has gone by so quickly. I feel like it was yesterday, that I was a junior in high school coming to St. Norbert for the fist time as a shadow student and now I am a senior and getting ready to step into the career world.

Throughout the past four years I have had many great experiences. I co-founded and started a student organization on campus called "Friends for Wheels" to raise awareness about disabilities throughout the St. Norbert College community and to make sure there is an effort to make every building on campus accessible to not just those of us in wheelchairs but for any other form of limitation one might have.

I will be ordering my cap and gown later this month to walk across the stage in May! I have been searching for jobs like crazy! It has become something that has consumed almost all of my free time, but is well worth it! I am glad I started searching early. I have landed two interviews in Maryland for March when I travel to the DC area over spring break! It has been stressful but the hard work has paid off!

In my next blog I look forward to tell you all about my experience studying at The American University and interning with the NBA's Washington Wizards in the Spring of 2007. A life changing experience I will never forget!