July 21, 2011
Taylour Smith, former Grambling State softball player, recently discussed her Nike internship with SWAC.org.
Q: Talk a little bit about your internship at Nike. How did you get the internship and how has your experience been so far?
I was able to get this internship through SAAC which is Student Athlete Advisory Committee. The deadline was approaching but I managed to get my resume and cover letter turned in to Edgar Gantt who works with the SWAC. From there he sent it over to a recruiter at Nike and I was fortunate enough to be chosen for an interview. So far this has been one of the best experiences ever! Nike has such a beautiful campus and I have been lucky enough to be paired with a very cool manager who is really helping me learn the business. I am placed in the North American Retail Brand Presentation department and my position is North American EKIN. EKIN is Nike backwards and as this position you are expected to learn Nikes products backwards and forwards. So far I have been helping my manager with planning events that are coming up such as the US Open of Surf which takes place Aug. 1st in Huntington Beach, CA. I will be attending and helping to relay brand experience to the consumers.
Q: What was your major at Grambling, and how have you benefitted from an education at GSU?
At Grambling I was a business marketing major. Education is very important to me, however I do feel that it is just the foundation of things that you need to learn. As a softball student athlete from Grambling I really have managed to take life skills that have really helped me in fitting in with the Nike expectations. Things like time management, presentation skills, and being a team player are just to name a few. Those skills go a long way and have helped me adjust to this new environment. So I would have to say that education and experiences with my sport have helped tremendously.
Q: What are your future plans?
I would definitely love to continue to work for Nike! It is seriously like my dream job! The most difficult thing though is deciding what exactly I would want to do here because there's no point of me saying I want to work here if I can't contribute. But if I don't get offered a position immediately after my internship I plan on moving out to California while still continuing to network with my manager and people that I've talked to on Nike's campus to see if any positions open up for me. They also have a campus in LA so maybe that could be an option as well. I've learned here that building relationships are extremely important because you never know who can help you in the long run
This article was pulled from:http://www.swac.org/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/072111aaa.html