Surprise Opportunity

Today I got an email from the Worcester Sharks, an AHL affiliate of the San Jose Sharks, saying I have received an internship with them.  While I had applied to a communications internship a few months ago, I had interviewed earlier in the month about an Event Operations internship, but I had never heard word back from them.  I guess I will be working two internships this semester after all.

Last Day with the Philadelphia Union

My last day with the Union was also the night of the Holiday Party.  During the holiday party I got to MC the trivia competition, which was fun, but note to any future employers do not give someone a mic on their last day on the job, you never know what they will say.

Upon returning to my hotel after all my goodbyes I sent this letter to Leah Moore to send to the organization.


To the Union,

Some of you might know me as the as one of the interns in the annex, others as intern #2, others as they guy who sends you that Daily Clips email you delete daily, but most of you know me as the intern who played quiz master at this year’s holiday party.

The life of an intern is never easy, the days are long, you’re unsure of your abilities and the pay is well…  Then again the rewards of being an intern are priceless.  This time last year I decided to quit my career in accounting and finally follow the dreams of my inner 10 year old.  I joined the Union a 32 year old still trying to figure out what I wanted to do in my life.  I now leave a 33 year old with a much clearer path.

I cannot thank all of you enough for the opportunity to serve as one of your communications intern for the past three months.  I will never forget the experience as well as the kindness shown to me by each and every one of you whom I worked with in Chester.  The Union has built something special from the ground up and you all should be proud of what you have built.

To my fellow interns, your time with the Union is special.  The connections we make here can lead to long term friendships as well as future employment.  Make sure you take advantage of this opportunity.  Learn from everyone you can, do not be afraid to ask anyone a question about your goals.  It never hurts to ask.  It was a pleasure meeting all of you during our weekly meetings and seeing your ideas during your presentations.  Leah has done a great job in running the internship program and making us all feel like family, which was big for this homesick boy from Boston.

I move on to my next internship with the New England Revolution, but the Union will also have a place in my heart.  It will be a sad day when I retire my Union hat to my career hat rack.

“Saying goodbye, why is it sad?  Makes us remember the good times we’ve had.”

Thank you,

-Luke

Decision Made

After weighing both internship offers from the New England Revolution and the Boston Breakers I have made my choice.  I am going to be taking the internship with the Revolution.  Since I am already 10 years behind in my new career I need to use these internships to gain experience, but also to gain connections.  At both internships I would learn a lot, but the connections I could make working for the Revolution would be much better for my career.  Since the team is part of the Kraft Sports Group, which also owns the New England Patriots, I would be meeting people in many different areas of professional sports.  Also I have really enjoyed working in the MLS and would love to see how another team runs their communications department.

Tough Decisions

Today I got an offer from the New England Revolution to become a Communications Intern for the Spring semester.  The problem is I have already told the Boston Breakers I would be a Communications Intern for them during the same time.  When I originally interviewed with the Revolution I thought I would be able to do both since they were both part-time.  The problem is the Revolution will not allow me to intern with a team that is in the same sport and market, this means I need to make a choice between the two teams.

Union Teams Up to Feed for the Holidays: Union Joins Sixth Annual Toyota Food Drive on Dec. 14

The Philadelphia Union has joined forces with the Tri-State Toyota Dealers for the sixth annual Toyota Tundra Food Drive. 

The Union joins the Phillies, 76ers and Trenton Titans in supporting the month long food drive which concludes on Friday, Dec. 14.

A convoy of over 30 Toyota Tundra pickup trucks is scheduled to arrive at the Philabundance Hunger Relief Center around 10:00 a.m. to unload the nonperishable food items. 

Special guests scheduled to attend this event include the Philly Phanatic, Philadelphia Flyers legend Bob “The Hound” Kelly and select Union players.  In five years this event has collected over 60,000 pounds of nonperishable food for Philabundance. 

Joining efforts like these is part of the Philadelphia Union Foundation’s mission to provide opportunities for children through the power of relationships, offering change in education, community, health and recreation.

Philabundance reduces hunger in the Delaware Valley by providing food access to people in need via partnerships with various organizations and individuals.  They provide a full palate of services through neighborhood distribution programs and a network of close to 500 member agencies in nine counties.  Furthermore, Philabundance serves approximately 65,000 people per week at a cost of 50 cents per meal. 

For more information about Philabundance, visit www.philabundance.org or call (215) 339-0900.

MLB Winter Meetings

Just got back to Philadelphia after being at the MLB Winter Meetings for a few days.  It was a great experience.  I met with a lot of people and learned a lot about what to do to achieve my career goals.  The job postings were very limited in the area I was interested in, but thankfully I already have my next internship lined up.  While I am not sure what sport I will be working in in the future, I know events like these are important to meet new people and to experience sports in a more business like fashion.  During my time in Nashville I ran into my former boss in Nashua, Tim Bawmann who reminded me to visit him in Lowell upon my return to Massachusetts to pick up my 2012 FCBL Championship Ring.  I am excited to see the ring in persona and this one will always hold a special space in my heart since it marks the year I decided to change careers as well as my first stop in the process of working in professional sports.  I also got a chance to meet Peter Gammons, who was a delight and was more than willing to talk to an excited fan of his work as well as baseball.  We talked about some of the things the Red Sox are doing to try to make the 2013 a better season than their awful 2012 season.  Overall this was a week I will never forget.

Nashville

On my way to Nashville, TN for the PBEO Job Fair at the MLB Winter Meetings. While I have already accepted a communications internship with the Boston Breakers I just want to go to see the current openings. Also it is a good chance to network with possible future bosses. There are also some workshops, which I want to go to since I need to gain more skills if I want a career in communications.
Yesterday I interviewed with the New England Revolution. They are looking for a communications intern to work 2 to 3 days a week and game days. This means I can do both the Breakers and Revolution at the same time. It would be interesting to work for the MLS and the new women's pro soccer league at the same time.