CHARLOTTE, N.C. –  The Queens University of Charlotte Department of Athletics prides itself on building an environment that allows students, interns, and volunteers an inside look at the realm of athletics. Whether for class assignment or for experience, the internship program is designed to help in preparation for the industry.
 
As a part of the program, students are partnered with a mentor in the specific field that they are interested in so that they can master different skill sets. With fields of compliance, operations, marketing, sport information, and new media, there are a vast of opportunities available for interns to succeed.

"We have been intentional and deliberate in our effort to incorporate interns into our athletic department," said Director of Athletics Cherie Swarthout. "We focus on resume building experiences which includes building a professional network.  We take great pride in the experience our interns have during their tenure at Queens and look forward to working with more young professionals to help provide them with the support and foundation to get their careers started."

The department takes great pride in watching former interns develop and grow in their respective career fields. Over the past seven years, Queens has seen over 50 students participate in the program and move on into very promising careers within the field.  Here is a look at a few of the interns to come through the athletic department and where they are at now.
 
Stafford Braxton was an intern for the department in both the marketing and sports information departments at Queens for over two years. After that he went on to become a marketing and business development intern for USA Triathlon in Colorado Springs for six months. In that role, Braxton was responsible for feature stories and social media regarding Team USA athletes in international completion as well as working with the marketing team and our sponsors to better identify our target market.
 
After Braxton's time with USAT, he went on to become the USA Swimming Communications Assistant. He assisted with the development of marketing strategy plans for both U.S. Olympic Trials and the 2016 Olympic Games. Braxton also worked directly with the USA's three main partners, Arena, Speedo and TYR, to develop gear for both events, and assisted his director of digital content in developing concepts for sponsor video shoots that involved Olympic athletes. Additionally, during all Arena Pro Swim Series stops, Braxton was responsible for event recaps, media credentialing, and social media content production.
 
At the Rio Olympic Games, Braxton's primary was social media, nightly recaps and video content production. After the Games, He was offered the position of Paralympic Communications Assistant with the USOC. He is currently responsible for writing feature stories and event recaps for Paralympians in major competitions, internationally and nationally.
 
After the Games, I was offered the position of Paralympic Communications Assistant with the USOC. Mike Levine started as an intern in the compliance office working his way to his current role of assistant director of compliance for the university. Levine said his time interning helped him discover his interest in the field of compliance allowing him to find a career path that he would not have known otherwise. He credits his time here as an opportunity to learn and meet with staff members building relationships that will help him as he progresses in his career.
 
"I think Queens was a special experience for me because it never felt like I was going to work," said Braxton. "The staff felt like family and I genuinely enjoyed what I was doing. The most important thing was that they understood that I was qualified to be there and did not micromanage the tasks they gave to me. Not only did the internship prep me for my current position, it prepared me for real life. Working through events such as Alumni Weekend, the first nationally televised basketball game, winning the school's first national championship in swimming, conference championship games, and a host of others helped me develop the skills necessary to move onto bigger opportunities."
 
After working in the Queens Athletic Department for four months Courtney Ciesielski moved on to work for the Charlotte Hornets. After starting out in inside sales, where she was required to call fans to get them to purchase different ticket packages, she was promoted to the membership services team where she now works with about 400 season ticket holders. Ciesielski helps ticket holders with questions and concerns about their season ticket membership and renewing them each year.
"The time I spent at Queens helped expose me to different areas, which allowed me to narrow down exactly what I wanted to do," stated Ciesilski.
 
Miller Yoho spent a year interning in the department before being hired as the first director of marketing for athletics at Queens. Yoho now serves as the director of communications at the Charlotte Sports Foundation. The Foundation is in charge of putting on a number of athletic events in the Queens City, including the Belk Bowl.
 
"My time at Queens was incredibly valuable for my current career path," said Yoho. "Interning for the athletic department allowed me to participate in a variety of tasks that shine on my resume, and helped me gain a network of colleagues that I will cherish throughout my career. Working in sports marketing and communication, I use the skills that I honed working to promote athletic events at Queens on a daily basis. I appreciate the knowledge that was passed onto me through my daily work."
 
Brittany Philip interned in the department for five months, while she was a student-athlete on the women's lacrosse team at Queens. She now serves as an accountant coordinator for GMR Marketing, a global sports and entertainment consulting firm. Philip joined GMR in September of 2015, and she works closely with their client Procter and Gamble, supporting them and their status as a member of the International Olympic Committees' top sponsorship program and as an Olympic committee partner. In her role, she was awarded the opportunity to travel and work at the Rio Olympic Games.
 
Todd Nebeker was an intern at Queens for a year and is the current assistant athletic director for development at Utah Valley University. He oversees their fundraising efforts, specifically focusing on major gifts. Nebeker works closely with the marketing and communications team to provide engagement to all of Utah Valley fans and donors.
 
"My internship at Queens set the stage for my career and gave me the direction that I needed to figure out exactly what I wanted to do," said Nebeker.

More information about the internship program and how you can be involved can be found here