Kari Nieber '23 and her family are diehard fans of the Boston Red Sox. For years, she's regularly tuned into NESN (New England Sports Network) for the television broadcast of the games. Watching a game, in fact, gave her an idea.
"I wonder if NESN offers summer internships."
A quick Google search led to a posting. Fast forward a few months, and the picture from Fenway Park was taken while on the job.
The marketing communications major scored an internship in sales with the cable network. She created pitch decks with consideration for the channel's audience and demographic makeup and the target market of the potential client. She worked with the graphic design team and sat in on sales calls. She also met with clients in an all-inclusive suite at Fenway.
"This was a dream internship! When I got the opportunity, I couldn't possibly pass it up."
Even if that meant spending two months living in a hotel.
NESN's headquarters are in Watertown, MA, just outside of Boston. The internship was clearly in-person, and NESN wasn't offering lodging or living expenses. So, Kari moved into a hotel. She typically worked between three and four days per week, and would often check into the hotel on Monday morning and check out on Thursday. She'd drive home for the weekend, and the return the following week. Same hotel, always a different room.
"It was very different living in a hotel. There was no kitchen, so I'd have to eat out a lot. Thankfully, I went to plenty of games at Fenway, and we hosted clients in suites. There was always food available in the suites."
Kari was able to work on her graphic design and communication skills throughout the summer. Plus, she said the opportunity helped her with time management. Overall, the executives were impressed. NESN has already discussed bringing Kari on full-time next year. She would likely start in a rotational program, spending a few months learning different roles within the network, from sales to marketing to digital.
"It was a completely different experience than anything I'd ever done before. Interacting with clients was especially different, but everybody was so easy to talk to. They all made me feel so welcomed. And yes, my family was very jealous!"
Kari Nieber '23
