The summer before senior year is often a time for people to have an internship. This is the norm and the thought is to have a leg up on your counterparts when applying for jobs (not sure how I feel about it). We'll see how this goes in the next year but I followed right along like most of my friends this summer. I wasn't doing it for credit, since I would've had to pay for that, I wasn't paid, and I wasn't required to have one because of my major. As I deemed myself a "glorified volunteer" here is my experience from the 3 months I spent as the Competition Programs&Events intern at the National Ability Center in Park City, Utah.
The National Ability Center is a non-profit located in Park City that is committed to providing recreational opportunities to people of all abilities. They have a campus which allows for horse back riding, archery, ropes course rock climbing, and cycling. Off campus there's the ability to take people paddle boarding, kayaking, water skiing, wakeboarding and in the winter alpine skiing and other winter sports. The largest population we serve are veterans and those on the autism spectrum. The organization is 25 years old, but still up and coming. They've expanded to programs overseas as well and people from around the world come to Park City for these opportunities. Check out www.discovernac.org for ways to get involved!
I got involved when I was 16 and helped out some participants water ski. Helping a paralyzed participant water ski and watching his huge smile with the wind blowing in his face made me want to be involved more. This summer, after I decided to come home I applied and then started my summer!
I've always said that sports have the power to change people's lives. I've seen this throughout my life. After freshman year I was an intern at Cooperstown Dreams Park in NY in the baseball operations department, sophomore year I worked with a team and helped the Colorado Adaptive Sports Foundation share their story and spread adaptive awareness, while in Italy I did a cross cultural comparison on sports between Italians and Americans, so this summer it seemed fitting to do something related to sports.
The beginning of June brought about special olympics where I helped coach a participant in the cycling program. The next three months were spent planning and preparing for the annual Summit Challenge benefit ride for the National Ability Center. My role was to recruit adaptive athletes from around the country and make sure they were supported along the ride. I also helped out with all the little details from finding sponsors, making raffle baskets, planning a short ride to showcase adaptive cycles, securing vendors and rest stops sponsors, preparing the swag bags, and a million other little tasks that come up when planning an event for 600+ people. I've always loved organizing and planning events, but this was the biggest event I've been instrumental with.
August 23 came in with a thunderstorm drenching much of Salt Lake and Park City. As 3:45am came and I drove up to Park City I was nervous the weather would put a damper on the whole event. After a couple of hours setting up in the rain it cleared! The mountains were snowcapped and it was beautiful! The sun came out and didn't impact the event as much as we anticipated. The day was busy trying to make everyone happy. Of course when you're behind the scenes you think of everything that should be happening or was supposed to be happening and it's easy to get caught up in and forget that the majority of the participants are having a great time and don't know all the things going wrong. One smile from a blind participant or hug from a child with autism changes everything. Watching a veteran who has fought for our freedom ride 52 miles on a hand cycle at over 6000ft is impressive, but seeing them come in and thank you for empowering them and giving this opportunity is something that will stick with me forever. We had 100 adaptive riders who all rode for free based on the 500+ able bodied riders who participated. Watching people who never thought they could ride 18 miles because they don't have the use of their right side come across the finish line with a smile and a Tiger Woods fist pump is phenomenal. What sticks out the most to me is hearing from participants "I never thought I'd ride a bike again till I came across this organization and event." That day I knew I had helped make the lives of many people better, but what I didn't realize is how much better my day was because of them. Thank you to my family and friends who helped out with the event in some way or another. Cole, Jake, Carol, Tom, mom&dad, Allison, and Mary you help make the world even better :)
Yes, during my internship I did make coffee and copies once in awhile, but every employee was there to help out one another and sometimes that means making a fresh pot of coffee. I did sit at a desk with a computer, but I also got to have meetings while walking around outside. Yes sometimes I was bored or unsure of myself, but I gained confidence. I knew I was capable of planning and running organizations and events, but I didn't know how much of difference I could make within an organization. I learned how to be "forcefully remindful" and how to remind people they are here to help you. I saw a variety of leadership styles and was trusted to perform tasks. I wore my "Erin intern" nametag proudly, but laughed when people came to me with questions and I'd say "I'm just an intern." They'd respond with "never say you're JUST an intern." I loved working with committed people and that really makes a difference in an organization or business. I never heard anyone complain about taking a Wounded Warriors group to the airport at 5am or working 16 hour days. Every staff, intern and volunteer was really committed to helping others. So my advise to every student is if you're going to have an internship find one that supports your passion. The late nights at the office and lack of pay float to the back of your mind when you have your passion and goal in mind. Find your passion, find your goal and find an organization that supports you!
The National Ability Center is a non-profit located in Park City that is committed to providing recreational opportunities to people of all abilities. They have a campus which allows for horse back riding, archery, ropes course rock climbing, and cycling. Off campus there's the ability to take people paddle boarding, kayaking, water skiing, wakeboarding and in the winter alpine skiing and other winter sports. The largest population we serve are veterans and those on the autism spectrum. The organization is 25 years old, but still up and coming. They've expanded to programs overseas as well and people from around the world come to Park City for these opportunities. Check out www.discovernac.org for ways to get involved!
I got involved when I was 16 and helped out some participants water ski. Helping a paralyzed participant water ski and watching his huge smile with the wind blowing in his face made me want to be involved more. This summer, after I decided to come home I applied and then started my summer!
I've always said that sports have the power to change people's lives. I've seen this throughout my life. After freshman year I was an intern at Cooperstown Dreams Park in NY in the baseball operations department, sophomore year I worked with a team and helped the Colorado Adaptive Sports Foundation share their story and spread adaptive awareness, while in Italy I did a cross cultural comparison on sports between Italians and Americans, so this summer it seemed fitting to do something related to sports.
The beginning of June brought about special olympics where I helped coach a participant in the cycling program. The next three months were spent planning and preparing for the annual Summit Challenge benefit ride for the National Ability Center. My role was to recruit adaptive athletes from around the country and make sure they were supported along the ride. I also helped out with all the little details from finding sponsors, making raffle baskets, planning a short ride to showcase adaptive cycles, securing vendors and rest stops sponsors, preparing the swag bags, and a million other little tasks that come up when planning an event for 600+ people. I've always loved organizing and planning events, but this was the biggest event I've been instrumental with.
August 23 came in with a thunderstorm drenching much of Salt Lake and Park City. As 3:45am came and I drove up to Park City I was nervous the weather would put a damper on the whole event. After a couple of hours setting up in the rain it cleared! The mountains were snowcapped and it was beautiful! The sun came out and didn't impact the event as much as we anticipated. The day was busy trying to make everyone happy. Of course when you're behind the scenes you think of everything that should be happening or was supposed to be happening and it's easy to get caught up in and forget that the majority of the participants are having a great time and don't know all the things going wrong. One smile from a blind participant or hug from a child with autism changes everything. Watching a veteran who has fought for our freedom ride 52 miles on a hand cycle at over 6000ft is impressive, but seeing them come in and thank you for empowering them and giving this opportunity is something that will stick with me forever. We had 100 adaptive riders who all rode for free based on the 500+ able bodied riders who participated. Watching people who never thought they could ride 18 miles because they don't have the use of their right side come across the finish line with a smile and a Tiger Woods fist pump is phenomenal. What sticks out the most to me is hearing from participants "I never thought I'd ride a bike again till I came across this organization and event." That day I knew I had helped make the lives of many people better, but what I didn't realize is how much better my day was because of them. Thank you to my family and friends who helped out with the event in some way or another. Cole, Jake, Carol, Tom, mom&dad, Allison, and Mary you help make the world even better :)
Yes, during my internship I did make coffee and copies once in awhile, but every employee was there to help out one another and sometimes that means making a fresh pot of coffee. I did sit at a desk with a computer, but I also got to have meetings while walking around outside. Yes sometimes I was bored or unsure of myself, but I gained confidence. I knew I was capable of planning and running organizations and events, but I didn't know how much of difference I could make within an organization. I learned how to be "forcefully remindful" and how to remind people they are here to help you. I saw a variety of leadership styles and was trusted to perform tasks. I wore my "Erin intern" nametag proudly, but laughed when people came to me with questions and I'd say "I'm just an intern." They'd respond with "never say you're JUST an intern." I loved working with committed people and that really makes a difference in an organization or business. I never heard anyone complain about taking a Wounded Warriors group to the airport at 5am or working 16 hour days. Every staff, intern and volunteer was really committed to helping others. So my advise to every student is if you're going to have an internship find one that supports your passion. The late nights at the office and lack of pay float to the back of your mind when you have your passion and goal in mind. Find your passion, find your goal and find an organization that supports you!
