The Southern Conference has opened three internships for the 2012-13 academic year. As part of the ‘Where Are They Now’ series, we talked with some former SoCon student-athletes who became interns in the conference office after graduation.
Aime Mitchell, Furman Softball, SoCon Intern 2002-03
Ben Austin, Wofford Baseball, SoCon Intern 2008-09
Caroline Sanker, Davidson Cross Country/Track & Field, SoCon Intern 2009-10
Kristen Gay, Western Carolina Softball, SoCon Intern 2010
Patrick Hatcher, Samford Football, SoCon Intern 2011-2012
Finding time to get involved in extra-curricular activities can prove to be a challenge for any college student, but one thing all of them have in common, understanding that time management is critical in order to succeed. Student-athletes, for instance, have the task of balancing academics and athletics while trying to find the time to build their resume. However, opportunities present themselves to allow student-athletes to become involved in all aspects of their institution.
Being a representative of SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) is how many student-athletes become involved within their athletic department, while others just take the initiative and volunteer with other sports during their off-seasons.
“I really just asked around and wanted to be involved,” said Ben Austin. “I helped the SIDs with football and basketball and I was a ball boy for football.”
Many student-athletes wish to remain in the field of college athletics after their playing days have come to an end and some of them are able to continue to pursue a career in the field.
“I just wanted to stay around it,” said Austin. “You can only play for so long and being around kids made the job more enjoyable for me.”
However, there are some student-athletes who entered college wishing to pursue a career away from sports.
“At first I wanted to go into physical therapy and get into the medical side of sports so I could still be involved with athletes in some fashion,” said Patrick Hatcher. “It wasn’t until I went to SALI (Student-Athlete Leadership Institute) in 2009 that I really learned more about college athletics and this position. I really talked to Michelle Durban, Associate Director of Athletics for Compliance/SWA at Samford University, about it the whole way back from Black Mountain and that’s when I really started focusing and meeting with her a lot more about getting into this field.”
The three internships the SoCon offers each year introduces the interns to a different side of college athletics and helps with the understanding of what goes on behind-the-scenes.
“When you’re a student-athlete you kind of take for granted how much preparation goes into game operations, how much preparation goes into championships and what’s really involved in sports information. You just really appreciate how much work goes into everything all around the board,” said Aime Mitchell.
For student-athletes who have tried their hands on the other side of the playing field, they have walked away with a new appreciation for college athletics.
“I have a new appreciation for the long hours and amount of work that goes into planning and organizing from all of the people involved,” said Caroline Sanker. “A lot of people talk about it like it’s a glamorous job, but it’s a lot of hard work and a lot of long hours, and it takes quite a bit for everything to come together.”
Aside from seeing first-hand the amount of preparation that goes into events and the long hours, there are many benefits to pursuing an internship or a career in college athletics. The internships at the Southern Conference present the opportunity to travel to all of the conference-sponsored championships.
“I liked going to the championships because of the people I worked with and it was nice to travel and see new places and really get the hands-on experience,” said Sanker. “It was great being out and seeing athletics and working it [the championship] as opposed to be an athlete.”
When traveling to the championships, there is the opportunity to meet the staff from the member institutions, which is quite different if you were to work at one school.
“I get to meet everybody and I get to see all the student-athletes rather than just being at one school and traveling a little bit with them,” said Hatcher. “With the conference I really get to meet and network with a wide range of people.”
The Southern Conference internships are designed to give the interns hands-on experience and explore the different aspects of college athletics.
“The SoCon seemed more individualized, which was a big thing for me,” said Kristen Gay. “I like to just be challenged in everything that I do, so just letting me go and giving me a task and trying to figure it out myself was what I was looking for.”
“If I expressed interest, an opportunity was made available to me,” said Mitchell. “I had an interest in championships and I had an interest in operations. I knew I wanted to work in college athletics but I didn’t know what area and I really appreciated the opportunities that Doug, Sue and the rest of the staff gave me.”
“One thing that I didn’t think I would get into was Photoshop,” said Hatcher. “I always wanted to learn, but I hadn’t had the opportunity. I’ve really learned a lot more than I thought I would and experiencing a little bit from the different departments in the conference office.”
Along with gaining the hands-on experience, working at the conference office also teaches you how to communicate with administrators and how making a good first impression is important.
“Understand that every opportunity that you have to interact with administrators throughout the conference when we have meetings you can take advantage of networking,” said Sanker. “Take as many opportunities as you can to learn what all the different jobs are that go into college athletics.”
“One thing that this internship has helped me with is seeing so many different aspects. I get to do some compliance stuff and that’s something that I never really looked into,” added Hatcher.
The freedom and the ability to express interest in other aspects of your respective internship make the positions at the Southern Conference unique. Having an open mind, taking advantage of every opportunity and staying positive is beneficial in enhancing the internship experience.
“Go into everything with a smile,” said Hatcher. “And give off the impression that you’re always willing to help and go outside of the box, because you’re at the bottom and you’re trying to work your way up so you have to put a lot of effort into things.”
“Take advantage of the opportunities that arise and really explore the full gamut,” added Mitchell. “Don’t get pigeon-holed into one area of college athletics. Learn and meet people in all areas.”
Not only can an internship in college athletics help advance a career, but it also helps to determine if it’s the right fit. Some former SoCon interns were able to use the internship as a stepping stone and learn that they wanted to take a different approach to sports.
“It’s a great learning experience to kind of guide you and think about ‘is this what you want to do, or do you want to take athletics and incorporate it in a different way,’” said Sanker. “I had always been interested in health and sports and the internship gave me the opportunity to see things from an operational side and I realized that I was more interested in the health side of sports.
“I loved the aspect of going to the events and meeting new people, but I think that made me realize my true passion was in health care and helping people,” added Kristen Gay.
“You should use every opportunity that you have and not necessarily get negative if it’s not something you don’t want to do,” said Sanker. “Take it as a learning opportunity to help guide you in a new direction.”
Former SoCon Inters: Where Are They Now
Aime Mitchell—currently the Director of Developmental Services at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
After her internship Mitchell worked at Western Carolina for three years where she started in student-athlete support before moving over to the Athletic Ticket Manager and the Assistant Director of Marketing and Promotions, where she handled all game operations and promotions for the Olympic sports, as well as ticketing.
Ben Austin—works at Lees-McRae College in admissions doing some of their events (liaison between admissions and athletics)
After his internship Austin moved to Chattanooga for a year before continuing his education at East Tennessee State. He graduated in December with a master’s degree in sport management and currently resides in Boone, N.C.
Caroline Sanker—student at Ohio State Unviersity in public health program. She will graduate in March.
“I realized that I had a stronger interest in health and wellness and my undergraduate was in psychology so I applied to a program in public health and my initial idea was to get into some kind of employee wellness initiative.”
Kristen Gay—student at Western Carolina
“Even though I thought this was something that I wanted to do. I loved the aspect of going to the events and meeting new people, but I think that made me realize my true passion was in health care and helping people.”
Patrick Hatcher—currently finishing his internship at the Southern Conference.
Full Transcribed Internviews
Aime Mitchell
Ben Austin
Caroline Sanker
Kristen Gay
Patrick Hatcher