Unpaid Internship Grant

Thanks to the generosity of an alumnus, one Carlson student who is pursuing an unpaid internship is awarded  a $6,500 grant for their internship.

Questions about this opportunity can be directed to Mai Xiong at xiong968@umn.edu.

Looking for internship opportunities? Schedule with a coach!

What did receiving this grant mean to you?

This grant meant to me that I did not have to sacrifice gaining valuable experience in the startup sphere because I had to work to pay for college expenses. Especially pursuing marketing, picking a company that was a startup put me in a unique experience to now have larger agency experience as well as very small, in-house experience. Receiving this grant gave me such a greater well-rounded experience as I continue developing as a marketing professional.

Why did you choose this internship?

 I chose this internship because I am passionate about business from a global perspective, and this was the perfect opportunity for me to get hands-on experience with a team and company that works all across the globe: my coworkers were from Greece, Ireland, Germany, India, and more. Additionally, throughout the course of the internship we placed multiple students in Spain and throughout the UK. 

PlayAbroad is a start-up that works on providing collegiate and pre-professional soccer opportunities for students originally from the U.S. over in Europe. My main job as a Social Media Marketing intern was to keep our social platforms up to date and create content that would appeal to high school aged athletes. As someone who was a multi-sport athlete in high school, I know that not a lot of students realize that you are able to take your athletic eligibility abroad, and we worked hard to produce content educating students on the positive differences going abroad can make in your college athletic career. I greatly enjoyed my time, and am staying on the PlayAbroad team, promoted to Marketing Team Lead of the interns, now helping our Fall intern class adjust and get a greater understanding of who our clients are and how we can best serve them.

What was the highlight of your internship?

The highlight of my internship was working directly with the Chief Executive Officer on providing a two minute long company promotional video. This video was a multi-week project that was reviewed by him as well as creative directors. I had never worked on such a large project regarding video editing, so it was a bit stressful to deliver something new to me to the CEO. In the end, we made a great video that then had a reach of over 1,000 youth soccer clubs throughout the United States, contributing to an increase in our social following, lead generation, and client acquisition.

How has your Carlson School experience prepared you for this internship?

 I attribute the skills I learned in BA 1011 - Leading Self & Teams to my success in my internship. I was able to navigate language and cultural barriers working with such a diverse team, and walked away more knowledgeable on how people function and practice business all over the world. Additionally, public relations and consulting experiences in student organizations such as Alpha Kappa Psi and Carlson Ambassadors have prepared me with skills in graphic design, agenda creation, working in committees, and being a proactive communicator. 

What drives your interest/passion in your area of study?

I am passionate about pursuing a career in marketing so I can begin to understand the “why”s of business: why people buy what they do, why people are attracted to what they are, why people are driven to click “Purchase” or “Subscribe”. Being able to put myself into the eyes of a high school athlete with dreams to pursue collegiate and even professional soccer goals continued honing my interests in consumer behavior, understanding the company’s target audiences, and what specific value they provide.