SC's Summer Internships
August 23, 2017 | Football, Student-Athlete Academic Services, USC Ripsit Blog, Features
This summer, when USC's 125th football team was putting in work in the weight room and on the field, many members of the team were also working at exciting jobs and internships around the world.
Redshirt freshman WR Josh Imatorbhebhe kicked off the summer in style by traveling to Chile as part of the USC Marshall School of Business' LINC program. The program, which stands for Learning About International Commerce, takes USC freshman business administration majors all over the world to study the structures and cultures of international businesses. Imatorbhebhe was impressed with the companies' organization and attention to detail, which he felt he could translate to the football field.
"It doesn't matter what country you're in," he said. "If you really commit yourself to excellence, you'll be a top dog."
USC WR Steven Mitchell Jr. stayed a little closer to home to complete his internship this summer. The redshirt senior interned with JR286 Inc., a sports equipment and accessories company, in Torrance, Calif. As an intern, Mitchell helped design shiver sleeves, headbands and gloves that he and his teammates will wear on the field this season.
Mitchell is interested in high fashion, but had to find ways to make fashionable tweaks to ordinary football accessories that still fit within USC's and Nike's brands. He found inspiration by following NFL stars like Odell Beckham Jr. and their personal glove and shoe designers on Instagram.
"I know we're USC and we're very traditional, but any little thing that we can do, it helps us," said Mitchell, who'd like to be a fashion designer after his football career ends. "In my mind, I want to say it makes us play better. Look good, play good. That's always been the motto."
Junior LB Cameron Smith also pursued an internship in a unique field this summer, working at Melville Winery in Lompoc, Calif. Smith became interested in the process of wine making last year, and by chance met Chad Melville, a USC alumnus and the head winegrower at Melville Winery, after a football practice last season. While Melville wasn't actively looking for an intern, Smith showed dogged interest and earned a spot on the team this summer.
At his internship, Smith (pictured) learned about growing grapes, making wine, selling products and more. He didn't shy away from any task asked of him, whether it was giving tours of the winery or taking out the trash.
"He wasn't afraid to do anything," said Melville of Smith. "We threw him in the fire in a lot of different categories. It allowed him to grow a lot, in his confidence in terms of public speaking, and being an authority on something other than football. I think that was really big for him."
Smith's new public speaking skills may be an asset he'll have to use this year, as he was recently named one of four team captains for the 2017 season.
Smith, his teammates, and Trojans across all 21 sports will use everything they learned during their summer internships to help them not only on the field, but in their lives long after sports.
Redshirt freshman WR Josh Imatorbhebhe kicked off the summer in style by traveling to Chile as part of the USC Marshall School of Business' LINC program. The program, which stands for Learning About International Commerce, takes USC freshman business administration majors all over the world to study the structures and cultures of international businesses. Imatorbhebhe was impressed with the companies' organization and attention to detail, which he felt he could translate to the football field.
"It doesn't matter what country you're in," he said. "If you really commit yourself to excellence, you'll be a top dog."
USC WR Steven Mitchell Jr. stayed a little closer to home to complete his internship this summer. The redshirt senior interned with JR286 Inc., a sports equipment and accessories company, in Torrance, Calif. As an intern, Mitchell helped design shiver sleeves, headbands and gloves that he and his teammates will wear on the field this season.
Mitchell is interested in high fashion, but had to find ways to make fashionable tweaks to ordinary football accessories that still fit within USC's and Nike's brands. He found inspiration by following NFL stars like Odell Beckham Jr. and their personal glove and shoe designers on Instagram.
"I know we're USC and we're very traditional, but any little thing that we can do, it helps us," said Mitchell, who'd like to be a fashion designer after his football career ends. "In my mind, I want to say it makes us play better. Look good, play good. That's always been the motto."
Junior LB Cameron Smith also pursued an internship in a unique field this summer, working at Melville Winery in Lompoc, Calif. Smith became interested in the process of wine making last year, and by chance met Chad Melville, a USC alumnus and the head winegrower at Melville Winery, after a football practice last season. While Melville wasn't actively looking for an intern, Smith showed dogged interest and earned a spot on the team this summer.
At his internship, Smith (pictured) learned about growing grapes, making wine, selling products and more. He didn't shy away from any task asked of him, whether it was giving tours of the winery or taking out the trash.
"He wasn't afraid to do anything," said Melville of Smith. "We threw him in the fire in a lot of different categories. It allowed him to grow a lot, in his confidence in terms of public speaking, and being an authority on something other than football. I think that was really big for him."
Smith's new public speaking skills may be an asset he'll have to use this year, as he was recently named one of four team captains for the 2017 season.
Smith, his teammates, and Trojans across all 21 sports will use everything they learned during their summer internships to help them not only on the field, but in their lives long after sports.
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