My name is Bailey Burke, I am from Barrie, Ontario, and I have just completed my 4th year of the Business Communication program here at Brock! I have been an intern at The Centre for Sport Capacity for the past eight months and have officially completed my experiential learning requirements with them. The CSC brought me on as an Events, Marketing, and Communications assistant (intern). My role consisted of working alongside my team to develop media content, organize webinars for community members, and also gave me opportunities to work with other departments within Brock to create promotional content for upcoming events being hosted by the CSC. I was given autonomy over the work and content that I made, which allowed me to gain confidence and experience within my desired field and expand my network, to name only a few of the opportunities presented to me during my time with the CSC. 

Expanding on my experiences and opportunities, I came into the experiential learning program hoping to grow my hard skills while still improving my professionalism and transferable skills. Event management and content creation within the Centre allowed me to develop both simultaneously.

The webinars I assisted with required multiple posts to inform students about the upcoming webinar discussions, the speakers who they would hear from, information about the host of the webinar, etc. This allowed me to develop many different graphics, which became second nature as my internship went on. In addition, I had to meet with webinar hosts to gather the information I needed to create this content. Working with the hosts allowed me to network, become comfortable leading meetings, and gain the confidence I needed to handle myself professionally in different settings. 

Though there was a lot to be learned from the work that I did with the Centre, each was unique and had exciting elements. The most exciting project I was given a chance to work on was the content development for the Sport Conference Day that is being hosted May 17th, 2022. This event offers high school students the opportunity to come to Brock for the day and hear from a keynote speaker, complete workshops, as well as hear from a Brock student panel. The event also allows SHSM students to complete many of their requirements. My role in this event started in the early planning stages. I worked with Brock Recruitment to work out promotional measures and the overall expectations for the day. This resulted in a flyer being developed and shared with high school teachers to encourage them to bring their students. As a result, the Sport Conference Day surpassed the expected number of participants and now has a wait-list for classes looking to attend! It was really rewarding to see the amount of interest for this event I had a small part in. 

The Sport Conference Day is only one accomplishment I had at the Centre. There were many personal accomplishments I was able to make during the past eight months. From perfecting my email etiquette to learning how to work efficiently and effectively as part of a team, I reached the goals I had set for myself. 

Though I am sad to be leaving the CSC, the perspectives and skills I am leaving with will be prevalent as I move toward my next steps after graduation. As I go forward into my career, the communication skills and workplace etiquette that the CSC taught me have provided me with the confidence and capability to enter the workforce. Knowing that I can design content, work with a team, communicate with an array of people, organize events, etc., is all thanks to the work and opportunities the Centre provided me.