Undergraduate Blog / Career Development

Taking an Unconventional Summer Internship

“The best things I’ve done in life are things that nobody else does,” one of my close friends said to me as I was deciding what internship opportunities to pursue this summer. Between choosing a more corporate sales position, versus something more unconventional, I was conflicted.

However, the unconventional opportunity existed in the realm of a true passion of mine – the sport of squash. Specifically, the role was a Leadership Development Internship at a squash startup, in partnership with the US national governing body for squash.

Squash is on the growth trajectory, but the pipeline for professionals to grow the sport is limited. The internship serves as an opportunity for young, energetic business minded squash enthusiasts to be a part of the change and help increase access and visibility of the sport. The structure of the internship is coaching for the squash camp from 9-12, and the second half of the day be reserved for business development projects. This was a mission I could get behind.

Squash has been a part of my life for 6 years now, and I cannot imagine a life without it. In just one hour, you can burn up to 1,000 calories while having a lot of fun. It is a fast paced game that requires agility and intelligence. When I am on the court, nothing else matters. Nothing in life can replicate that feeling. I want more people to feel that way.

Considering how passionate I am about squash, taking this internship felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity, especially with where the sport is now.

It is important to see the value of opportunities for what they are, and not what they appear to be. In other words, don’t just go for something because of name recognition. I found myself working for a budding squash startup in Portland, ME, had no expectations, and left feeling like I made an impact. As cliche as it is, opportunities surprise you, but it’s a matter of what you make of it. In my following blog posts, I will go into how that impact played out over the course of 6 weeks.