Written by Sangjun Hornewer ‘20, Editor-in-Chief
Julia Unterseher ’20 is a junior student-athlete who is majoring in business and a member of the Forester women’s hockey team. She is also involved in Delta Gamma Fraternity. Currently, she is representing the College as an intern at Northwestern University’s sports marketing department. Stentor staff interviewed Unterseher about her current internship and what it means to gain experience that will help her decide her post-grad career that could potentially incorporate her passion for athletics.
Stentor: What is the title of your internship position and what kind of work do you do in your position?
Unterseher: I am currently an athletic marketing intern. In my role, I assist with day-to-day responsibilities in the office as well as game-day responsibilities, including contest management, halftime entertainment, and videoboard management at a variety of home events. I also do research areas for marketing opportunities and growth. Plus, I use programs like Adobe Photoshop to help create content and emails.
Stentor: How does sports marketing appeal to you? In other words, why do you find it so interesting?
Unterseher: Sports marketing appeals to me because I am able to make a personal connection with fans. Doing game promotions like half-court shot at basketball games or “What’s in the Box” at softball games just adds to the fan experience.
Stentor: What did balancing courses, an internship, and hockey look like for you?
Unterseher: I actually started my internship in late February, which was toward the end of my season. We were about to head into playoffs at the time. I was pretty lucky with my internship, because they were flexible with my schedule and understood that I was still in season—but it did get pretty overwhelming at times, because I would work at my internship from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., go straight to practice at 4 p.m., and then do homework afterwards. I have all my classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which leave Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (depending on travel) for my internship, although I managed it pretty well. I am crazy organized, and I always have my planner on me, color coordinated with what’s going in the week and upcoming weeks.
Stentor: Is this internship helping you decide what career path you might want to pursue after graduation?
Unterseher: Yes, this internship is helping me decide my career path after graduation. I am currently a junior so it is nice to gain some experience at a Division 1 level program.
Stentor: How does being a Forester student-athlete help you in the professional world?
Unterseher: Being a Forester student-athlete helps me in the professional world because as part of a team with many different personalities and characteristics, I am able to adapt and work with others. Working at Northwestern University’s Athletic Department is like working on a team: if one person makes a tiny error, the whole department fails. It is important to communicate with each other and rely on help when needed.
Sangjun Hornewer can be reached at hornewersm@lfc.edu.
