WSSU junior lands summer internship with PGA Tour
For many college students, finding summer internships that align with their career goals can be a challenge.
Island Green, a Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) junior sports management major from Charlotte, broke through earlier this year. Green was one of just 25 students chosen for a 10-week paid summer internship program with the PGA Tour, selected from nearly 1,000 applicants.
MORE: Students are career ready after summer internships
The internship allowed Green to see the inner workings of the world's premier membership organization for touring professional golfers from its headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
The internship even landed the Phillip O. Berry Academy graduate a feature article in Golf Digest, which noted how he shares a name with Ponte Vedra Beach’s famed Island Green at TPC Sawgrass, site of the PGA Players Championship.
“The internship helped to reinforce my aspirations of working behind the scenes in the corporate environment of sports,” Green says. “I learned how to conduct myself in a professional environment, the importance of team work/collaboration, and the importance of embracing corporate values to align with my core beliefs, such as community involvement.”
5 Internship Tips For Students
With the Career, Internship & Graduate School Expo set for Nov. 6, Green offers these five tips to help students find and land internships.
- Set up and maintain a LinkedIn account. Make sure that everything is accurate and current on the account. Career Development Services also will offer students the opportunity to have a professional headshot taken during the expo.
- Stay in contact with Career Development Services. The staff from Career Development Services offer a range of resources and services to assist students in developing the necessary strategies and skills, including resume critiques, mock interviews, and on-campus events.
- Build and use your professional network. Whether you are at a career fair, a meeting on campus or an outreach event, always look to meet new people.
- Be diligent. Research available internship opportunities within your major.
- Don’t limit yourself based on location. Green traveled to Florida for his internship with the PGA Tour.
Back on Campus
On campus, Green keeps busy as a football equipment manager and an assistant for gameday operations for WSSU athletics. He also serves as a mentor at Ashley Elementary school.What’s next for Green?
“I plan to continue to seek opportunities in the sports environment, while establishing my network along the way, and up my golf game,” he says. Next summer, he’s keeping an eye out for internships with the NFL, the Carolina Panthers or the Charlotte Hornets.
About Winston-Salem State University
Winston-Salem State University fosters the creative thinking, analytical problem-solving, and depth of character needed to transform the world. Rooted in liberal education, WSSU’s curriculum prepares students to be thought leaders who have the skills and knowledge needed to develop innovative solutions to complex problems. Founded in 1892, WSSU is a historically Black constituent institution of the University of North Carolina with a rich tradition of contributing to the social, cultural, intellectual, and economic growth of North Carolina, the region and beyond. Guided by the motto, “Enter to Learn, Depart to Serve,” WSSU develops leaders who advance social justice by serving the world with compassion and commitment.
