Written by: Noa Silverstein

My name is Noa Silverstein and I am originally from West Hartford, CT. One of the reasons why I chose to attend UConn was for their incredible athletics program and Sport Management program. The summer after freshman year, I began working for the UConn Men’s Soccer program in Storrs, CT. Having the opportunity to work with a Division I (DI) collegiate program has been a dream come true. Not only have I gotten hands on experience, but I have also started to learn the insides of how a college sports organization works and how a DI sports team operates. 

I first got in touch with the UConn Men's Soccer office through a family friend where we discussed my interest in getting experience in the sport management field before applying to the program.  At the beginning of the spring semester of my freshman year, I scheduled a meeting and interview with UConn's coach, Ray Reid. Coach offered me a job to work in the office and I was thrilled! Since then, I have been working there ever since.

This past summer, I worked for both the Ray Reid Soccer School and the UConn Men’s Soccer program. In each of those positions, I had very different tasks ranging from mailings to spreadsheets to clinics. In the office, I learned how important mailings are. They get the information out to people who may have not been aware of events or things happening that pertain to the program. However during the soccer school, I worked on writing up the schedule for the next day and I served as the contact person who took care of the logistics for the camp in conjunction with the coaching staff at the camp in Avon, CT.

One of the events I worked on this summer was our annual golf tournament. Although I was abroad for most of the planning stages of the event, I was active in the execution of the event and the last minute touches. What was really cool about seeing this event happen was seeing the support the program has. Getting to talk with some of the donors and network was a great opportunity and I really appreciated hearing how much they enjoy UConn soccer. Another major project that I worked on towards the middle of the summer was preparing for pre-season. A lot goes into making sure that the coaches and players are all ready for the upcoming year.

One of the major things I have learned this summer was there are never any shortcuts while getting the job done.  Although each of my projects were different, the overarching theme centered around promoting the UConn Men’s Soccer program. Whether it was through mailings, phone calls, fundraisers or spreadsheets, we were always doing it for the good of the program and to advance the program. This internship gave me the opportunity to learn and be apart of a Division I athletics program and learn how to run a sports camp; everyday I learned something new! I would love to take the skills I have learned here and combine them with my passion for policy and politics and one day be able to work for a professional sports league or team while working on the policy side of sport.