WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Committed to providing a well-rounded collegiate experience, Purdue Athletics is proud to continue its student-athlete internship program for the sixth consecutive year. Through the program, eight student-athletes will complete an eight-week internship within Purdue Athletics, as announced Thursday.
"The student-athlete internship program allows Purdue student-athletes the opportunity to gain valuable work experience while introducing them to potential careers in collegiate athletics," said assistant director of compliance Lisa Scott, who oversees the program. "The student-athletes are able to remain on campus to attend class and train while also gaining an in-depth understanding of the various departments that make Purdue great. We are also excited to offer more career development opportunities for the interns this summer which we are confident will improve their marketability once they graduate."
The student-athlete internship program is intended to give student-athletes, who have an interest in college athletics, an opportunity to gain valuable, hands-on experience in an administrative setting.
Outside of working with Purdue Athletics, student-athlete interns will also visit the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis. During their visit, students will meet with staff members across several departments of the national office, including governance, enforcement, academic and membership affairs, and the office of inclusion.
The selected student-athlete interns also will participate in the career readiness training camp this summer, where they will learn important career skills and have the opportunity to network with several companies interested in hiring student-athletes.
This summer's interns were selected out of a pool of over 30 applicants. Each applicant was given an interview with every department they applied to and were provided feedback to improve their interview skills.
Representing the 2019 class of the student-athlete internship program are Lauren Guiao, Luke Ingram, Jaden Mattox, Nick McDowell, Molly Meenan, Ena Sabanagic, Will Schrensky and Jah Strange. They have been placed within six areas of the athletics department: compliance, John Purdue Club, leadership and life skills, marketing, strategic communications, and ticketing.
A member of the women's golf team, Lauren Guiao will be partnering with Purdue's leadership and life skills department. Following a successful sophomore season on the course where she played under par twice and guided the Boilermakers to the Illinois Invitational title, Guiao is eager to learn more about Purdue's behind-the-scene efforts.
"I am looking forward to learning all of the steps that Purdue's support staff takes in the summer to help the athletic department run smoothly through the school year," Guiao said. "I am also excited to work closely with leadership advisor Cathy Wright-Eger and learn more about her insights on teamwork and leadership."
Joining Guiao in the leadership and like skills office is long jumper Jaden Mattox. Coming off a junior season that saw her named to the All-Big Ten second-team following a personal-best 16.18-meter mark at the conference championships, Mattox is eager to learn the business aspect of college athletics.
"I am looking forward to learning about how the business side of the athletic department works," Mattox said. "As a student-athlete we only get to see the end result, so I think it will be a unique experience to see all the time and effort it takes to get to that final product."
Joining the Purdue ticket office will be swimmer Luke Ingram. Posting Purdue's fifth fastest time in the 400 IM this year with a mark of 4:00.36, Ingram is excited to take his passion for Purdue from the pool to ticket holders around the world.
"The opportunity to participate in this internship is super important to me because I feel like it is something I see myself doing really well," Ingram said. "I love talking and helping new people and this internship will give me the interaction to hopefully make someone's day, while also learning how the ticket office produces and tracks so many fans across the world."
Ingram is joined by teammates Nick McDowell and Will Schrensky, who are working with the strategic communications and compliance offices, respectively. Coming off their junior seasons, McDowell and Schrensky are Big Ten Distinguished Scholars and two-time academic All-Big Ten honorees.
"This internship provides the perfect opportunity to gain professional experience while I pursue both academic and athletic excellence," McDowell said. "I am excited to learn what it takes to be a professional in today's world from the best Purdue has to offer."
"This opportunity with the compliance department allows me to gain valuable experience in a professional environment and see how the department handles and manages ensuring athletes follow NCAA guidelines," Schrensky said. "I believe this internship will give me a taste of what somebody with a background in legal studies can do in an athletic department and I am excited to see how much work goes in to assisting the student athletes."
The John Purdue Club welcomes two student-athlete interns in soccer's Ena Sabanagic and track & field's Jah Strange. Playing in every match for the Boilermakers last fall, Sabanagic made history when she netted Purdue's game winner against then-No.24 Louisville. The win marked Purdue's first ranked victory under head coach Drew Roff.
"I am looking forward to learning about the ins-and-outs of the John Purdue Club and every role that each person on the team plays," Sabanagaic said. "Just on my first day alone, I learned so much that I hadn't known before. I'm excited to get an inside glance of what the John Purdue Club takes on and the impact it has on this university."
A transfer from Sacramento State, Strange also has made a name for himself after going 15.93-meters in the triple jump at the NCAA East Regional last weekend. The junior is now one of eight Boilermakers competing in the NCAA Championships from June 5 to 8 in Austin, Texas.
"Being selected to the student-athlete internship program is very important to me because I am getting real world job experience at a respected university," Strange said. "I look forward to developing skills I will use for years to come."
Rounding out the 2019 intern class is softball pitcher Molly Meenan. This past season, Meenan played an essential role for a Boilermaker squad that went 34-29, including a 3-2 run in Purdue's first appearance at the National Invitational Softball Championships (NISC).
"The opportunity to participate in this internship is both exciting and important to me because it will provide me with new experiences and skills that will help me in the future," Meenan said. "I am excited to see more of behind the scenes of Purdue Athletics and be able to contribute to something that I am really passionate about. I have always seen myself getting involved with sports journalism, communications or marketing in the future, so being able to work with the marketing department is the perfect way for me to expand my knowledge in this area."
"The student-athlete internship program allows Purdue student-athletes the opportunity to gain valuable work experience while introducing them to potential careers in collegiate athletics," said assistant director of compliance Lisa Scott, who oversees the program. "The student-athletes are able to remain on campus to attend class and train while also gaining an in-depth understanding of the various departments that make Purdue great. We are also excited to offer more career development opportunities for the interns this summer which we are confident will improve their marketability once they graduate."
The student-athlete internship program is intended to give student-athletes, who have an interest in college athletics, an opportunity to gain valuable, hands-on experience in an administrative setting.
Outside of working with Purdue Athletics, student-athlete interns will also visit the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis. During their visit, students will meet with staff members across several departments of the national office, including governance, enforcement, academic and membership affairs, and the office of inclusion.
The selected student-athlete interns also will participate in the career readiness training camp this summer, where they will learn important career skills and have the opportunity to network with several companies interested in hiring student-athletes.
This summer's interns were selected out of a pool of over 30 applicants. Each applicant was given an interview with every department they applied to and were provided feedback to improve their interview skills.
Representing the 2019 class of the student-athlete internship program are Lauren Guiao, Luke Ingram, Jaden Mattox, Nick McDowell, Molly Meenan, Ena Sabanagic, Will Schrensky and Jah Strange. They have been placed within six areas of the athletics department: compliance, John Purdue Club, leadership and life skills, marketing, strategic communications, and ticketing.
A member of the women's golf team, Lauren Guiao will be partnering with Purdue's leadership and life skills department. Following a successful sophomore season on the course where she played under par twice and guided the Boilermakers to the Illinois Invitational title, Guiao is eager to learn more about Purdue's behind-the-scene efforts.
"I am looking forward to learning all of the steps that Purdue's support staff takes in the summer to help the athletic department run smoothly through the school year," Guiao said. "I am also excited to work closely with leadership advisor Cathy Wright-Eger and learn more about her insights on teamwork and leadership."
Joining Guiao in the leadership and like skills office is long jumper Jaden Mattox. Coming off a junior season that saw her named to the All-Big Ten second-team following a personal-best 16.18-meter mark at the conference championships, Mattox is eager to learn the business aspect of college athletics.
"I am looking forward to learning about how the business side of the athletic department works," Mattox said. "As a student-athlete we only get to see the end result, so I think it will be a unique experience to see all the time and effort it takes to get to that final product."
Joining the Purdue ticket office will be swimmer Luke Ingram. Posting Purdue's fifth fastest time in the 400 IM this year with a mark of 4:00.36, Ingram is excited to take his passion for Purdue from the pool to ticket holders around the world.
"The opportunity to participate in this internship is super important to me because I feel like it is something I see myself doing really well," Ingram said. "I love talking and helping new people and this internship will give me the interaction to hopefully make someone's day, while also learning how the ticket office produces and tracks so many fans across the world."
Ingram is joined by teammates Nick McDowell and Will Schrensky, who are working with the strategic communications and compliance offices, respectively. Coming off their junior seasons, McDowell and Schrensky are Big Ten Distinguished Scholars and two-time academic All-Big Ten honorees.
"This internship provides the perfect opportunity to gain professional experience while I pursue both academic and athletic excellence," McDowell said. "I am excited to learn what it takes to be a professional in today's world from the best Purdue has to offer."
"This opportunity with the compliance department allows me to gain valuable experience in a professional environment and see how the department handles and manages ensuring athletes follow NCAA guidelines," Schrensky said. "I believe this internship will give me a taste of what somebody with a background in legal studies can do in an athletic department and I am excited to see how much work goes in to assisting the student athletes."
The John Purdue Club welcomes two student-athlete interns in soccer's Ena Sabanagic and track & field's Jah Strange. Playing in every match for the Boilermakers last fall, Sabanagic made history when she netted Purdue's game winner against then-No.24 Louisville. The win marked Purdue's first ranked victory under head coach Drew Roff.
"I am looking forward to learning about the ins-and-outs of the John Purdue Club and every role that each person on the team plays," Sabanagaic said. "Just on my first day alone, I learned so much that I hadn't known before. I'm excited to get an inside glance of what the John Purdue Club takes on and the impact it has on this university."
A transfer from Sacramento State, Strange also has made a name for himself after going 15.93-meters in the triple jump at the NCAA East Regional last weekend. The junior is now one of eight Boilermakers competing in the NCAA Championships from June 5 to 8 in Austin, Texas.
"Being selected to the student-athlete internship program is very important to me because I am getting real world job experience at a respected university," Strange said. "I look forward to developing skills I will use for years to come."
Rounding out the 2019 intern class is softball pitcher Molly Meenan. This past season, Meenan played an essential role for a Boilermaker squad that went 34-29, including a 3-2 run in Purdue's first appearance at the National Invitational Softball Championships (NISC).
"The opportunity to participate in this internship is both exciting and important to me because it will provide me with new experiences and skills that will help me in the future," Meenan said. "I am excited to see more of behind the scenes of Purdue Athletics and be able to contribute to something that I am really passionate about. I have always seen myself getting involved with sports journalism, communications or marketing in the future, so being able to work with the marketing department is the perfect way for me to expand my knowledge in this area."