¾«¶«AV

Wearing many hats in a pro soccer ā€˜startupā€™

Jake connected with Westchester SC staff members early in the fall and began interning with the club in Januaryā€”ā€œdoing a little bit of everythingā€ā€”before being named the player operations coordinator.

ā€œI cater to the playersā€™ everyday needs. We have a lot of foreign players, and Iā€™m bilingual, so I do a lot of translation to help them move to the area and get settled, for example. Iā€™m with the team every day, and since the players know I played myself, they know I understand their perspectives and theyā€™re comfortable sharing their needs with me,ā€ he says.

ā€œBut because itā€™s basically a startup, I have also been a part of marketing efforts, event planning and community outreach. Itā€™s been a really interesting and rewarding experience.ā€

How ¾«¶«AV prepared Jake for success

Jake, who majored in American Studies at ¾«¶«AV, says he regularly leans on his communication and language skills, and he credits ¾«¶«AVā€™s emphasis on career preparation from day one with helping him refine and reach his goal of launching a career in sports management.

ā€œI took a variety of classes that all catered to my interests. They definitely made me well-rounded and allow me to be part of marketing calls, draft club documents, work on sponsorships, those sorts of things,ā€ he says.

ā€œAnd at ¾«¶«AV, career preparation starts early, so I knew I needed to really look into what I wanted to do in the future. I worked with the Hale Center for Career Development and the Academic Resource Center to refine my resume and make a plan, and I was prepared when I contacted the club and ultimately got the job.ā€