Internship gives CJ student insight into the working world

(Left to right) Tight End for the Arizona Cardinals Ben Patrick's brother, three of Soricelli's co-workers at the silent auction, Ben Patrick and senior Maria Soricelli pose at the 'Friday Night Huddle' party in Fort Lauderdale the night before the main event. This party is for the player and chef volunteers, Soricelli said.

By Breann Schossow

Maria Soricelli has wanted to work in professional sports since she was in high school. Through networking, the senior advertising major was able to intern at one of the biggest sports competitions in the U.S. – the Super Bowl.

Soricelli interned at the Taste of the NFL, an organization that benefits hunger relief in the 32 NFL cities around the country. It originated in 1992 when the Super Bowl traveled to Minnesota and, since then has raised more than $6.8 million.

“I've always had an interest in sports and this internship put my foot in the door,” she said.

Soricelli started as one of the first group of interns for the organization in January, and worked up until the Super Bowl. Taste of NFL takes place on the eve of the game, with well-known chefs representing each city cooking specialties for guests, former and current players and coaches from each team. However, Soricelli spent the bulk of her time working with the silent auction group and preparing for the event in Florida. On the night of the event, her responsibilities included overseeing parts of the auction area, answering questions, talking to guests and making sure it ran smoothly.

Soricelli said her courses at UW-Eau Claire helped her prepare for the internship.

“As an advertising major and marketing minor, certain courses helped me become confident in my persuasive writing which came in handy for this internship,” she said. “They've also taught me to think visually and creatively.”

Soricelli said one of her favorite parts of the internship was the proximity to professional football players, and seeing the whole event come together.

“I loved being a part of such a fun event for a great purpose,” she said.

Soricelli will graduate in May and said she’s considering a few different areas of interest in her future job plans. Although not directly related to her major, she said she would like to hold a community relations position with a professional sports team, or a marketing coordinator position. She is also interested in becoming a copywriter for an ad agency.

Soricelli said it’s important to have an internship because they give students a heads up to what the working world will be like and can give insight as to what career they would like, as her internship did.

“I feel more confident now that I've had my internship,” she said. “Most students nowadays get jobs through networking, and having an internship is a great way to network and get your foot in the door.

Schossow is a junior print journalism major, managing editor of The Spectator and editor of The CJ Bridge.