In my first year at Brock University, I hesitated about my future career while taking economics and labour relation courses. Soon after I learned about sport management through my classmates, I knew this is what I wanted to study for the rest of my time at university. 

My name is Sarah Tan, and I am from Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. Transferring from economics to sport management is one of the best decisions I have made because the knowledge and skills I gained in the past four years allowed me to see things with a different perspective. Also, it led me to where I am today as the Marketing, Communication and Event Coordinator Intern at the Centre for Sport Capacity (CSC). I am very excited about this role as it is a great opportunity to earn workplace experience before I graduate in sport management this upcoming spring 2023. If you are still in school, or building your resume for job hunting, you may find some useful tips here! 

The experiences from my past role as a part-time marketing and event planning assistant at an international high school expanded my understanding of culturally appropriate marketing and helped me create the school’s brochures. I also went on a business trip with the vice-principal of the school to facilitate the establishment of a student exchange program in Bogota, Colombia. Later, I created promotional contents that drove interaction on social media for the high school by applying the knowledge I have gained from my history of art courses. By planning and supporting major events during my previous employment, such as convocation, musical night, and a Christmas party, I acquired practical knowledge and skills that will help me in my new role at the CSC. 

I was thrilled to learn about this opportunity when I saw the hiring post on Brock Career Zone as I took part in designing an e-magazine last year for the CSC and felt a strong connection to the organization. Brock University’s industry-leading expertise in sport management has prepared me well for this role. For example, I applied the theories, business knowledge, and analysis skills that I learned in entrepreneurship course, to my marketing projects, and they were very helpful. I also worked on a magazine design project with a team of 33 people in SPMA 3P05. At the end, I had a good practice with digital design and communication skills. 

The CSC hosts various events, such as workshops, forums, webinars, in partnership with sport clubs, businesses, and organizations throughout the region. My goals of this internship are learning the ability to evaluate information and use rational reasoning to analyze problems, apply knowledge, make decisions, reflect on, and overcome problems. Also, there are two important technical skills on my list that I want to learn at the CSC, WordPress, a website management system, and video editing. The ability to manage content (e.g., fixing errors, scheduling, updating), adapt messages to the audience based on context and culture, and create persuasive contents will be an asset for my future career in any industry, especially in marketing. 

It is only my second week at the CSC, and I have already been involved in many exciting projects. One is the Club Development Workshop Series, which was a discussion about gender inclusivity in sport and recreation. For our upcoming events, I am working with the CSC team on promoting the LEAD LIKE A GIRL Women in Sport Leadership Career Panel on February 10th. I am also working on Team Building on the Water which is a corporate training initiative in which we partner with a local canoe club to help build a business model and generate revenue. Thus, identifying problems and creatively translating ideas into solutions through experimental investigation and using information from a variety of sources will be one of my challenges encountered in this role. 

There are many more exciting events and projects to come, and I cannot wait to take part in them! The CSC is a perfect workplace for a senior student in sport management/ business communication/community recreation/media & communication, etc., who aims for a role in areas such as event, marketing, communication, or business development in an established sport organization in their future career. I believe the accomplishment of the internship at the CSC will offer me valuable field experience that provides guidance and support for my academic and career endeavors. It is a must-have opportunity for students to build their professional and personal development, and there is a caring director, Dr. Julie Stevens, who will guide you step by step into the business workplace in sport. I cannot wait to practice my skills and experiences in marketing, event planning, and customer relations and contribute to the CSC’s mission and development.