First things first, I would like to introduce myself - my name is Lindsay Peterson and I am currently approaching my senior year at Babson, concentrating in Marketing and Global Business Management. I am a member of the Babson Field Hockey team, and I have also just returned from the most amazing experience of my life - studying abroad at the University of St. Gallen in St. Gallen, Switzerland (just outside of Zurich). And now here I am - just getting over my jetlag, moving into a new apartment in the city, and finishing up my first week of my new internship. After only being back in the States for about two weeks now, everything feels like quite a whirlwind - but I know another exciting chapter of my life is about to begin.

This summer I am fulfilling a position as a sponsorship intern for New Balance and the Boston Cannons, a MLL (Major League Lacrosse) team, in Allston, MA. I have just completed my first week as an intern, and it is amazing to imagine and acknowledge how I got here - I am extremely thankful and lucky for this particular position. Since I have been studying abroad in Switzerland for the past four months, my internship search was quite different than the typical Babson student’s - with no “face-to-face” contact and a six-hour time difference, there were many barriers that I had to overcome. Although I began the internship search prior to my departure in the beginning of February, I received little to no feedback from my inquiries; employers were simply not interested in looking for summer interns in November or December (do I blame them?). With that being said, I knew that I would have to undergo the internship process as a “foreigner” - unfortunately giving up the possibility to participate in any “real” interviews. Instead, I kept my head in the game as much as possible (taking into consideration the many distractions of the European lifestyle) and continued to frequent the Babson Career Connections website, as well as contact family and friends for potential opportunities. I truly learned the importance of really “putting yourself out there” - I felt as though my resume was all over the internet, hoping to be scooped up by my knight in shining armor (an interesting, respectable, and loyal company, that is). But, much like trying to find your “knight” - the process was anything but simple.

Towards the middle of March, my inquiries had finally sparked some interests (primarily from some Babson Career Connections postings). Initially, I was very excited and reassured - but sure enough, a trend began to develop that seemed quite detrimental - most companies refused to conduct phone interviews. Although this was somewhat discourgaing, I understood the importance of the “real life” and “face-to-face” contact of an in-person interview - something that I actually enjoy to do. But, this was not an option - I had to keep digging deeper, finding a company that would still be interested in me even if I was thousands of miles away. This moment finally came towards the beginning of April after reaching out to some of my contacts in the lacrosse world - a world that is very important to my family.

Earlier on in March, my father had suggested to look into potential sports marketing/management positions within the MLL - more specifically, within the Boston Cannons organization. As a student-athlete and long-term fan of the league, I found the possibility very intriguing and worthwhile to look into (plus, I like to think that I know a thing or two about lacrosse - and yes, marketing too). After inquiring via e-mail, I received a response from the General Operations Manager at the Boston Cannons concerning a phone interview to further discuss my resume and career/personal ambitions (a very exciting e-mail to receive indeed!). I responded immediately, trying my hardest to combat the time difference and arrange a phone interview as soon as possible - yet, those six hours seemeed to continually get in the way. After a lengthy e-mail tag (we’re talking about six or seven “RE:”), we finally arranged a phone interview that took place in the late afternoon in Switzerland and in the morning in Boston. Completely ignoring the long distance, we talked for over an hour about everything from potential intern responsibilities to strengths and weaknesses to favorite celebrities - the interview was not only interesting and informational, but comfortable and fun. Once the interview was over, all I could think about was how incredible it would be to receive this opportunity - my mind was antsy for over three days. About a week later, the General Operations Manager e-mailed me with the offer of being a sponsorship intern, a position that works directly under the General Manager - I was more than happy to instantly accept the offer. Although it was detailed as an unpaid internship, I knew that the experience was incomparable - one cannot put a figure on their ambitions (or their passions). At this moment, I had one more month ahead of me - feeling more secure and excited than ever before. I already knew that it would be a summer to remember.

And now here I am, one week down of my internship, adjusting to the city (and well, American) life, reconnecting with friends ad family and reaching out to new coworkers - I couldn’t be happier. I have just started my summer intern project, which consists of developing a new master database and CRM system (more on that later). I am also busy with preparing marketing and sales material for the upcoming Boston Cannons versus the Chicago Machine game this Saturday - something I am greatly looking forward to. I will be sure to further update all of you on my project and new tasks later this week - I know that there will be a lot going on since it is almost GAME TIME!

Until next time..

-Lindsay

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” - Thoreau