School of Public Health Student Ambassadors Program, week two

Editor's note: This semester, the School of Public Health launched a new one-credit undergraduate course called the "School of Public Health Ambassador Program" (SPHL298A) in which students who are passionate about public health engage in activities designed to attract new students to the School of Public Health. Each student will contribute to the Healthy Turtle blog this semester to provide a window into what's important to School of Public Health students. This is the second in the series of student blogs.

The Crunch Bunch

by Cindy Uruburo

Sophomore Kinesiology major

l to r: Julianne McCamy, The Pickle, Cindy Uruburo ,and Morgan Barbour

Last school year as I was scrolling through the Kinesiology department’s list serv emails, I came across one that really caught my eye. “Internship with the Frederick Keys, Summer of 2011,” it read. As I read on, I learned that it was a Sports Marketing and Business internship for the minor league baseball team in Frederick, Maryland, where I grew up. I really didn’t believe that I was going to be chosen if I even dared to apply, since I thought my Kinesiology major wasn’t that related. I had known since high school that I wanted to be a physical therapist, and applied to Maryland based on the reputation of its Kinesiology program I had heard so much about. Even though it was a stretch, I applied for the Keys internship because I had always wanted to be a part of an athletic team as a way to gain experience towards my a career as a physical therapist.

I made it through the first round of interviews and received a call from Adam Pohl, the Keys Director of Marketing, asking me to come in for a personal interview. I accepted the offer and immediately called my parents to tell them the great news. My dad picked me up the following week and we drove to the Harry Grove Stadium in Frederick, where I had been so many times before. I remembered the long, winding road leading towards the stadium and the cheery signs representing the pride Frederick had in their Keys team. I had spent many summers cheering on the Keys and begging for autographs from my favorite players, and as soon as I got to the box office, I knew I wanted to work there.

Frederick Keys "Crunch Bunch 2011:"
(back row) Brad Wells, Brigit Foley, Ashley Dawkins, Brandon Apter, Daria Macon, Amanda Irvin
(front row) Morgan Barbour and Cindy Uruburo

I aced that interview like it was my job. I was accepted into the “Crunch Bunch” crew of 2011, the group of college students selected to represent the Keys throughout the Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia area, and was beyond excited to begin my internship with them. I met my new manager, Brandon Apter, and the rest of my fellow interns. I immediately fell in love with all of them and knew I was going to have an unbelievable summer. Every staff member on the team was also so warm and welcoming. Our role as interns for the Keys was simply to help the spectators have a good time and to manage the fun games played on the field between innings.

Although I was considered a sports marketing intern, I was also able to work with the athletic trainers and the coaches for the Keys. It was crazy how an internship that I had considered so completely different from what I wanted to do, actually turned out to be something that connected me to the field that I want to go into. I realized that I truly loved working with athletic teams, and being part of a professional team helped me recognize that I was also good at it. They taught me so much of what I needed to know -- things like wrapping player’s injuries, making sure that they had water and snacks throughout the games, and most importantly, maintaining their confidentiality since some of them were little celebrities in the making. I established connections with the coaches for the Keys and now may have access to working with the Baltimore Orioles in the future because of the dedication and responsibility I showed to the Keys.

The point of my spiel is to never pass up an opportunity thinking that you aren’t qualified, smart or knowledgeable enough to fulfill it. Something that I believed was going to do nothing for my future turned out to be an experience that I will never forget. I established so many friendships, made connections with the professional athletic training world and solidified my commitment to pursuing physical therapy.

So go out and take whatever internship interests you, learn from it, and I promise that it will teach you something you never expected to learn.