Earlier this summer we wondered what great things Boilermakers were doing with their summer, so we asked our Twitter followers and got some great responses. Boilermakers are doing incredible things with their summers. We followed up with a few students who had unique internships. This is Wiley’s #SummerStory:
Name: Wiley Lodde
Major/Year: Management / Junior
Position: Marketing / Baseball Operations Intern
Company: Sydney Blue Sox
Location: Sydney, Australia
What’s an average day like for you at your internship?
Coming into the office and having a brief meeting with the front office staff to discuss the daily objectives and how we have progressed throughout the week. Making calls to interested groups / organizations for sponsorship agreements, promotional deals, memberships, and game day activities. Having a meeting in the office with a potential sponsor, giving them a tour of the ballpark (Sydney 2000 Olympic Baseball Facility), and hashing out details for our agreements along with the commercial manager.
How did you find this job?
It was a part of the Sydney Internship Program through the Study Abroad Office.
What steps did you go through to secure the position?
I applied through the Study Abroad office for consideration for the position. After I sent in my application, resume, and cover letter, I was told a few weeks later that the Sydney Blue Sox were interested in having me join on in the front office for the summer. I had an online interview over Skype with my potential boss and at the end he offered me the position. I prepared for the interview by reviewing the team information on their website and I reviewed some information about the Australian Baseball League. I also had a friend do a practice interview with me and went over some basic interview questions.
What’s your favorite part about the position, company, or location?
Aside from working in baseball, which was awesome, the fact that I got to be in Australia for a summer was my favorite part of the whole experience. Australia is such a beautiful country and being able to see it was awesome. I was able to go see the Blue Mountains, The Hunter Valley, The Great Barrier Reef, The Opera House, The Rain forest and so many other things that I never thought I would be able to see. I was also there for the Vivid Festival of Light where the whole city is one large light show. Also, while I was there the Australian version of the Super Bowl took place. It is called The State of the Origin; it’s a Rugby game where New South Wales and Queensland (The two oldest states in Australia) play each other in Rugby. New South Wales won for the first time in years and Sydney celebrated the victory for many days. Australians love their Rugby.
What is something interesting or fun you did during your internship? Tell us about something you will never forget!
Something I will never forget is playing pick-up games of baseball with the coaches and our front office staff. Whenever we thought we needed a break, we would walk out to the field and hit some balls or play a quick game. Be able to play pick-up games on the same facility used for the Olympics was really cool. My favorite day was when we played home run derby, the coaches beat us badly, they hit over 20 home runs and the office staff hit 2. But needless to say it was something I will never forget.
