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This summer, Michael Flynn, sport management internship coordinator, road-tripped nearly 18 hours across New England to visit students on the job.鈥�

鈥�(Visiting in person) lets the student know that it鈥檚 not just a (matter of) 鈥榣et me turn in my bi-weekly reports,鈥欌�� said Flynn. 鈥淚t鈥檚 (saying), 鈥業鈥檓 somebody that cares about their future.鈥欌��

Along Flynn鈥檚 route was Michael Soscia 鈥�26, who is interning at the Warwick Country Club in Rhode Island.鈥��

Soscia has been working with Warwick Country Club for the past four years, and this summer, he returned in a new position as an intern, running junior golf practices among other things.鈥��

In addition to working with the junior golfers, any number of tasks might turn up on his to-do list, including helping with event management, pro shop organization and interacting with members. He just rolls with whatever comes his way, he said, describing it as 鈥渙rganized chaos,鈥� adding he never gets bored.鈥�

A typical day can start in the pro shop using a platform called Golf Genius to prepare for the day鈥檚 golf events like charity outings, guest events and even member tournaments.听

鈥淵ou never know what you鈥檙e going to have to do that day,鈥� he said.鈥��

One day, Soscia worked his longest shift yet. From 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Soscia prepared golf bags, caddied and helped with the evening events for the first day of a member-guest tournament the club was hosting.听听

Soscia said his time at the country club has not only taught him valuable lessons but also inspired him to aim high with his future goals.鈥��

鈥淚鈥檇 love to open up my own little golf shop 鈥� something where people can get affordable things from a person they trust.鈥澨�

But 鈥渘o matter what job I take in the future, there鈥檚 a lot of transferable skills and experiences that I can take with me,鈥� said Soscia, mentioning networking, event management, organizational and social skills.听

Soscia鈥檚 goals are clear, and he鈥檚 not the only one. According to Flynn, this summer, around 70 sport management majors at the University of Tampa have internships with teams and other sports and recreation entities, with almost 20 students working full time.鈥�

These students are interning around the world, with one in France, another in Puerto Rico and others across the country, including in California and Minnesota.听

With students interning across the globe, Flynn鈥檚 site visits play an important role in not only supporting current interns but also building relationships with these organizations for future students.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to show me all the good stuff, all the cool things that they鈥檙e doing, all the bright, shiny pennies and wonderful rainbows that are going on,鈥� said Flynn.听鈥�(But I want to know) what has gone bump in the night, you know? What do you need help with?鈥澨�

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Kellen Sargolini 鈥�26 is in Connecticut, interning with professional soccer鈥檚 Hartford Athletic.听

Sargolini was drawn to the internship because it lets him see behind the scenes of the program.鈥疕e contributes to game-day prep, halftime coordination, breakdown, cleanup and more. Each day鈥檚 tasks depend on what鈥檚 going on in the stadium.听

On a non-match day, Sargolini is responsible for preparing for upcoming matches. He helps set up tables, chairs and tents and organizes merchandise booths. On game days, he and others start in the parking lots about three to four hours before the game.

Sargolini can be a lot attendant, directing traffic, accepting parking fees or directing cars on where to park. At halftime, he helps young soccer players on the field play a 10-minute game, and sets up cones, goals and balls. Soon after, he and others take everything down, clean up and throw T-shirts into the crowd.鈥�

The fast-paced nature and pressure of staying on schedule were challenging to navigate at first, he said, but he soon adapted.鈥�

鈥淭hroughout the first couple of weeks while interning here, I was always learning new things until they all became muscle memory,鈥� said Sargolini, who has learned a lot about office dynamics as well.听鈥淭he environment and culture that your job provides is one of the most important aspects of any job.鈥澨�

This internship helped clarify Sargolini鈥檚 career goals.鈥�

鈥淎 dream job of mine is to be in the front office of an MLB team. I am determined to reach this goal on any level,鈥� said Sargolini. 鈥淭his internship is all about learning and growing; every day is a step toward completing that process."听

From one internship site to the next, Flynn鈥檚 trip highlights how these students weren鈥檛 just meeting their internship requirement for graduation, but extending their education.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 a classroom out there in the workforce, and we鈥檙e trying to help them figure out what鈥檚 out there and what they want to do after graduation,鈥� Flynn said.