Brooke Weinrich

Major: Communication

Media Relations Intern, Cape Cod Baseball League

How did you learn about this internship opportunity? 

I was recommended for this position by my boss within Purdue Athletics, who has seen other interns spend their summers at a summer baseball league. He was confident that my skill set would intertwine seamlessly with the requirements and standards the Cape Cod Baseball League holds. 

How has your internship helped build your skills and clarify your career goals?  How did being a Liberal Arts student at Purdue apply to your internship?

This internship has helped me build my skills in a variety of ways. From confidently networking to being immersed with high-profile media and individuals across the league, I have been able to communicate and relay information efficiently to both internal and external sources & outlets. This internship has helped me to reflect on my career goals and provided me with clarity to working in media relations, providing me with a multiple different roles to handle each day, therefore making each day of working exciting and engaging, and not verging burnout. 

What is a piece of advice you would give someone in your major  looking for an internship? 

Don’t be afraid to reach out directly to the hiring team! Never overthink the process of getting considered to be in a position somewhere, because at the end of the day, networking and building connections are truly the key to success. While your skillset is very crucial, your ability to communicate and interact with people is so vital when breaking into any industry, especially the sports industry. If you have the opportunity to get connected into your college athletics program, no matter what field it is, do it! I will never be able to thank Purdue Athletics enough for the chance they took on me when I was a freshman, and all of the experiences they have provided me with. Not only would I suggest getting connected into a program such as athletics but also get connected with your program’s mentors and the CCO. They have all of the means and resources to support you, but they also WANT to help you and see their students succeed! 

What key responsibilities or tasks have you taken on during your internship?

The key responsibilities I’ve taken on during my internship have been scattered across the board. But most importantly, I have really seen emphasis put to time management–balancing summer classes while also my internship. Although working in sports does not have a traditional schedule, this typcilaly means working at any time of the day, whenever you are needed. This means taking phone calls, being quick to email threads and inquires, and also being ready to be on the go whenever you are called to. I oversee media coordination for the Cape Cod Baseball League, including Fenway and Citi Field events, media requests, press releases, weekly newsletters, and social media pitches. 

In what ways has the College of Liberal Arts at Purdue University supported your internship journey? How has your participation in our job-ready program specifically aided your professional development? 

The College of Liberal Arts has supported my journey in many ways, and has equipped me with not only knowledge to back my Commnication background, but also the chance to network with such high-profile individuals and alumni from the same program, helping build my confidence in the workplace and how to efficiently work with others. Being part of hte job-ready program and receiving their generous scholarship has been such a crucial factor in being able to take my summer internship with the Cape Cod Baseball League. Not only does Purdue hold a very prestigious standard of their university, but I’m very grateful to elaborate on my time as a CLA student at Purdue to others, especially in the Boston area, with others being intrigued by what this program offers for a major that tends to get overlooked. I am incredibly grateful with the alumni connections, the support from CLA staff, and being surround by such a like-minded student body. 

Could you highlight a standout aspect of your experience in this program that you find particularly noteworthy? 

Throughout my internship search, I was heavily involved within SCLA 300 and was provided with such influential people to work alongside of, and a professor & TA that had my future in their best interest. Not only were they truly happy to help with my search tailored to my interests, but they were the first to jump on the opportunity to serve as a reference and write letters of recommendation. An experience that I want to highlight and deem as noteworthy was my professor, Kristy Foster, going out of her way in her own time to do a deep dive into resources that could be utilized throughout my search, such as the Purdue NYC Alum Network. She carefully listened to my dreams of moving to the city and showed her enthusiasm for a student like me in miraculous ways, even when she didn’t have to. She would send me emails outside of class time with resources to look into and take note of, regardless of whether an opportunity presented itself to be in NYC this summer. Fast forward, I have just recently accepted a position with YES Network in NYC after my internship concludes with the Cape Cod Baseball League and have already been utilizing her resources from the fall semester when she provided them. I am extremely thankful for the opportunities that CLA at Purdue has offered for me on my not-so-traditional college route, and their constant support in my academic and career journey.