Today – July 29th – marks Indiana Intern Day around the Hoosier State, an occasion established by Indiana INTERNnet and the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. Indy Eleven is fortunate enough to have a vast network of past interns, but today Indiana’s Team wants to take time to celebrate their current class of summer interns and recognize the value behind internships as a whole.
When compared to many other organizations, Indy Eleven offers an experience that is a bit … different. Being a professional sports team means that there are going to be things asked of you that might not be asked of you at a traditional office. For example, you might be asked to take a bag of soccer balls down six flights of stairs, or you might have to debate on who to use as a “player to watch” because the last three you have picked have either gotten injured or didn’t start. When you’re doing such things alongside a group of other interns and full-time employees, bonds begin to form.
“Real experience for a sports club and a support system,” are two things that Senior Director of Administration and Culture Jordan Mirabile, who is in charge of coordinating Indy Eleven’s internship program, hopes interns will walk away with. “This ‘world’ is very small, and the better network our interns can grow and the more genuine connections they make, the better off they are at the end of it.”
The world is indeed a very small place. Indy Eleven has hired multiple former interns to front office positions over the course of its growing eight-year history – and has even brought one back as a player in current midfielder Jared Timmer. Indy Eleven’s interns have fanned out to many different places throughout Indiana and the country, and according to Coordinator of Ticket Operations Cameron Farley that’s part of the point.
“Internships are meant for you to find out what you will/won't want to do in the future for your career,” Farley said. “Of course, some interns who have interned with the Eleven have found that maybe sports isn’t part of their future, and some feel inspired to continue down that path, but that is all part of the internship experience.”
Not only do interns value internships for their professional development, but Indy Eleven’s staff greatly values what interns bring to the table. Indy Eleven currently have twelve interns in the office during its summer internship program and they’ll have another class of a similar size joining the organization this fall. Interns take on positions in Game Day Operations, Marketing, Communications, Ticketing and various other departments, and it will be members of those departments that tell you that life would be much more difficult without interns.
“I think the biggest benefit of having interns in the Comms Department is that they are constantly bringing fresh viewpoints. That really challenges our staff to take different looks at what content we are currently producing and what new content we should be approaching,” explained Senior Director of Marketing and Communications John Koluder regarding the benefit of having Communications interns specifically. “An obvious benefit, but one that cannot be understated, is simply having additional content producers on our staff. As a pretty small creative group, simply having more hands on deck to push out content that meets our standards is a massive bonus, and allows us to create more content that our fans want to see.”
Not only do interns carry a heavy load inside of the office, but they also assist with the game day experience. Interns help out at every single home game at IUPUI Carroll Stadium and, depending on the position, they may have the ability to help when the Boys in Blue hit the road as well. Interns help set up signage, staff its Customer Services tables, set up and run the Honda Fun Zone, bring you in game content and, of course, everyone’s favorite, help out with the t-shirt toss. Whether you know it or not, Indy Eleven interns have their fingerprints all over a fans gameday experience.
“They are an integral part of our game day team,” said the Eleven’s Supervisor of Operations James Fields.
Obviously to help with the massive operation that is game day, interns have to bring a strong sense of energy and conviction. Interns are looking for real world experience and haven’t always necessarily experienced the grind of a full USL Championship season or the complexities that a soccer team can run into. However, it is that exact energy that interns bring that helps motivate Indy Eleven staff.
“I am thankful for interns because, almost without fail, they bring a sense of eagerness and want to collaborate with them to the office every single day,” exclaimed Koluder. “As a ‘jaded old professional’ for quite a while now, I often get reenergized just by seeing our club's interns approach their roles with such energy and refreshing attitudes, and I think that's an important infusion of spirit that any business environment can use.”
It’s that kind of fresh perspective of younger and ambitious professionals and older more seasoned professionals that breathe life into organizations like Indy Eleven. Interns bring new perspectives and a fresh pair of eyes into situations that may not have been analyzed in a way before because a professional has done something a certain way for so long. These kinds of interactions allow for positive working relationships to be formed and creates connections that could help both Indy Eleven employees or interns in their future careers.
Of course, every intern is different and has different experiences. What this group of interns can all agree when it comes to making the most of your internship is to get out of your comfort zone and try new things.
And the beauty of every intern class is that each one is different, bringing their own individual and collective personality. For instance, the summer intern class has a total of three different Jakes, which makes the office scratch their heads when someone says, “Where is Jake?” The interns have favorite TV shows that range from Avatar: The Last Airbender to Game of Thrones to New Girl, and favorite foods that range from mac n’ cheese to salmon with fruit salsa. It shows the diversity in thought, taste, and personality amongst a cohort of interns, but in the end they’re all working to similar goals of building their careers and assisting Indy Eleven in however they are needed.
Mirabile perhaps said it best when she simply said, “Indy Eleven couldn't survive without our interns!”
Today – July 29th – marks Indiana Intern Day around the Hoosier State, an occasion established by Indiana INTERNnet and the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. Indy Eleven is fortunate enough to have a vast network of past interns, but today Indiana’s Team wants to take time to celebrate their current class of summer interns and recognize the value behind internships as a whole.
When compared to many other organizations, Indy Eleven offers an experience that is a bit … different. Being a professional sports team means that there are going to be things asked of you that might not be asked of you at a traditional office. For example, you might be asked to take a bag of soccer balls down six flights of stairs, or you might have to debate on who to use as a “player to watch” because the last three you have picked have either gotten injured or didn’t start. When you’re doing such things alongside a group of other interns and full-time employees, bonds begin to form.
“Real experience for a sports club and a support system,” are two things that Senior Director of Administration and Culture Jordan Mirabile, who is in charge of coordinating Indy Eleven’s internship program, hopes interns will walk away with. “This ‘world’ is very small, and the better network our interns can grow and the more genuine connections they make, the better off they are at the end of it.”
The world is indeed a very small place. Indy Eleven has hired multiple former interns to front office positions over the course of its growing eight-year history – and has even brought one back as a player in current midfielder Jared Timmer. Indy Eleven’s interns have fanned out to many different places throughout Indiana and the country, and according to Coordinator of Ticket Operations Cameron Farley that’s part of the point.
“Internships are meant for you to find out what you will/won’t want to do in the future for your career,” Farley said. “Of course, some interns who have interned with the Eleven have found that maybe sports isn’t part of their future, and some feel inspired to continue down that path, but that is all part of the internship experience.”
Not only do interns value internships for their professional development, but Indy Eleven’s staff greatly values what interns bring to the table. Indy Eleven currently have twelve interns in the office during its summer internship program and they’ll have another class of a similar size joining the organization this fall. Interns take on positions in Game Day Operations, Marketing, Communications, Ticketing and various other departments, and it will be members of those departments that tell you that life would be much more difficult without interns.
“I think the biggest benefit of having interns in the Comms Department is that they are constantly bringing fresh viewpoints. That really challenges our staff to take different looks at what content we are currently producing and what new content we should be approaching,” explained Senior Director of Marketing and Communications John Koluder regarding the benefit of having Communications interns specifically. “An obvious benefit, but one that cannot be understated, is simply having additional content producers on our staff. As a pretty small creative group, simply having more hands on deck to push out content that meets our standards is a massive bonus, and allows us to create more content that our fans want to see.”
Not only do interns carry a heavy load inside of the office, but they also assist with the game day experience. Interns help out at every single home game at IUPUI Carroll Stadium and, depending on the position, they may have the ability to help when the Boys in Blue hit the road as well. Interns help set up signage, staff its Customer Services tables, set up and run the Honda Fun Zone, bring you in game content and, of course, everyone’s favorite, help out with the t-shirt toss. Whether you know it or not, Indy Eleven interns have their fingerprints all over a fans gameday experience.
“They are an integral part of our game day team,” said the Eleven’s Supervisor of Operations James Fields.
Obviously to help with the massive operation that is game day, interns have to bring a strong sense of energy and conviction. Interns are looking for real world experience and haven’t always necessarily experienced the grind of a full USL Championship season or the complexities that a soccer team can run into. However, it is that exact energy that interns bring that helps motivate Indy Eleven staff.
“I am thankful for interns because, almost without fail, they bring a sense of eagerness and want to collaborate with them to the office every single day,” exclaimed Koluder. “As a ‘jaded old professional’ for quite a while now, I often get reenergized just by seeing our club’s interns approach their roles with such energy and refreshing attitudes, and I think that’s an important infusion of spirit that any business environment can use.”
It’s that kind of fresh perspective of younger and ambitious professionals and older more seasoned professionals that breathe life into organizations like Indy Eleven. Interns bring new perspectives and a fresh pair of eyes into situations that may not have been analyzed in a way before because a professional has done something a certain way for so long. These kinds of interactions allow for positive working relationships to be formed and creates connections that could help both Indy Eleven employees or interns in their future careers.
Of course, every intern is different and has different experiences. What this group of interns can all agree when it comes to making the most of your internship is to get out of your comfort zone and try new things.
And the beauty of every intern class is that each one is different, bringing their own individual and collective personality. For instance, the summer intern class has a total of three different Jakes, which makes the office scratch their heads when someone says, “Where is Jake?” The interns have favorite TV shows that range from Avatar: The Last Airbender to Game of Thrones to New Girl, and favorite foods that range from mac n’ cheese to salmon with fruit salsa. It shows the diversity in thought, taste, and personality amongst a cohort of interns, but in the end they’re all working to similar goals of building their careers and assisting Indy Eleven in however they are needed.
Mirabile perhaps said it best when she simply said, “Indy Eleven couldn’t survive without our interns!”
