NORTHERN TODAY 13 FALL 2014 STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS “Just put yourself out there,” he said. “Honestly, if you want big, you dream big. I would have never guessed in a million years that I would have gotten a call back from the Kansas City Chiefs of all places.” Before he left, Lien said he was most looking forward to seeing the inside of an NFL team throughout the season and how it works on a daily basis. His internship began Aug. 18 and ends in early January. The department he is working in, he said, is one of two career paths he intends to pursue post-college. The other is in the department of fan experience, which organizes every aspect of professional sports outside of the actual sport – music, promotions, marketing, etc. Lien said he would be open to working in football or other sports. Many career possibilities Orr said career opportunities post-graduation are vast in the estimated $4 billion to $6 billion industry. A wide range of national and local organizations seek sport marketing staff, which can include serving as chief financial officer or managing player personnel, security, marketing and season ticket sales. Orr pointed out that students who graduate in the program also get a management degree, so they could work for sporting goods stores as well. Orr himself has had extensive experience as a sports player, official, supervisor, coach and sport administrator. He is also author of “Sport and Violence,” a critical examination of “sports rage” and aggression in athletics, and has discussed sports violence issues on the national level on The Huffington Post’s “HuffPostLive.” Now four years at NSU, Orr said the freshmen who started during his first year at NSU are seniors. He’s proud of their hard work and enjoys witnessing their accomplishments. “The more students move on to success, the more our program gets successful,” he said. These duties provided Webster, an athlete, the opportunity to see the other side of sporting events. “I’d been in every sport available to me in high school and was always active in at least one sport in college, so I think it was good to see everything from a different angle,” said Webster, a recent sport marketing and administration graduate. Thanks to the NSU sport marketing and administration program, she said, she had a good idea of what to expect with the internship, which was January-May 2014. The NSU Compliance Office assures that the athletics program is consistent with NCAA and university rules and regulations. Webster worked with Terri Holmes, NSU softball coach and compliance coordinator. She ran errands to the registrar and financial aid office, assisted with letter of intent and scholarship paperwork, and performed the design work. “I also helped out at basketball games and volleyball matches, monitoring hallways and escorting teams and officials to and from their designated locker rooms,” she said. Some people don’t realize all the work that Holmes does in her office, Webster said. She is in charge of making sure the hundreds of athletes at Northern are meeting the numerous rules and requirements related to athletics administration – whether it’s grades, credit hours, etc. Webster said she couldn’t pick one particular highlight of her experience. But, she said, “I really enjoyed being trusted to design the pamphlets, programs and invites for the various banquets that went on throughout the few months of the internship.” Her top piece of advice for other students looking for an internship: Start your search well in advance. “You don’t want to be limited in opportunities because of lack of time,” she said. Trying something new is also a good idea. “Don’t be afraid to look outside of the box,” she said. “Maybe try something that you wouldn’t necessarily think you would want to pursue, a different aspect of the business that you aren’t so familiar with. It is something you’re only going to be a part of for a few short months, so worst case, you can cross off an area of the business you find you don’t want to pursue any further.” Webster, who also had a minor in business, graduated from NSU in May 2014. Webster said she grew up all over “small town North Dakota.” She attended school in Alexander, Tappen and Rolette before eventually graduating from Wing. Webster is the daughter of Brad Webster of Fullerton, N.D.; and Faith Kapp of Tappen, N.D. She has a brother, Nic Webster, also of Tappen. She currently manages men’s sports shoes for Scheels All Sports in Bismarck, N.D. “I think my dream job would be with a major league baseball team,” she said. She wouldn’t rule out a college/university job, though. After working in compliance for her internship, and athletic communications for her practicum, she wouldn’t mind something similar to that. “We’ll see where the road takes me,” she said. Webster held internship with NSU Compliance Office From designing programs to helping out behind the scenes at athletic events, Alex Webster had a host of duties through her internship with the Northern State University Compliance Office. “DON’T BE AFRAID TO LOOK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX,” SHE SAID. “MAYBE TRY SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULDN’T NECESSARILY THINK YOU WOULD WANT TO PURSUE…” Gaining field experience continued from page 12 Through her internship with the NSU Compliance Office, Wolves track athlete Alex Webster got the opportunity to see the other side of sporting events.
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