Erick Kriewaldt ‘22 BSB received the Unpaid Internship Grant from the Carlson School of Management this past summer. This grant allowed him to participate in an internship with A3 Athletics that otherwise would have been unpaid.

Over the summer, Kriewaldt interned through A3 Athletics as an N.I.L. & Marketing Team Leader in Nashville, Tennessee. A3 Athletics is a full-service athletic agency that represents professional football and basketball athletes. Kriewaldt led a team of ten interns on marketing projects relating to the N.I.L. (Name, Image, and Likeness) of the agency’s clients.

Kriewaldt chose A3 Athletics because of its commitment to philanthropy. He helped raise funds for autism sensory rooms in stadiums and assisted with a backpack drive to collect back-to-school supplies for inner-city youth in Philadelphia, among many other events.

“A3 put me in a position to make a real difference, and that is what made them special.”

Kriedwaldt had the chance to attend a meeting welcoming Matthew Butler, a rookie defensive lineman, to the Las Vegas Raiders. This meeting gave him a better sense of how the business of athletics works.

“I got a great inside view of his transition from college athletics to the pros and how that impacted his marketability in both his college town of Knoxville and his professional city of Las Vegas. I enjoyed working with our clients to translate their passions into authentic sponsorship opportunities.”

Kriewaldt’s passion for the business side of athletics is driven by his enthusiasm to change lives for the better. He believes sports bring people together and create a strong sense of community. Kriewaldt is pursuing a Finance major, with a minor in Supply Chains and Operations Management and hopes to become an NFL agent so that he can “work with community-minded athletes and businesses to empower and grow the next generation of athletes and fans.”

The Unpaid Internship Grant allowed Kriewaldt to pursue an opportunity in a field he is passionate about while being compensated for his time and effort. He also felt prepared for the challenges of the internship due to his experiences as a Carlson School student.

“The Carlson guiding principle of ‘work before reward’ was the number one key to success in this internship. Nothing in the sports industry comes easy, so I would have accomplished very little without the resilience and grit I learned at the Carlson School.”

Applications for this year's Unpaid Internship Grant will open in the spring.