Thursday, June 19, 2014

Keeping Up With Mike Pacini

Getting the internship of a lifetime that could set you up for success is something the current students told my cohort at orientation. Some mentioned one job or internship where everything just clicked, and they knew what they wanted to do in their careers. Others were able to experience working in their dream organization where their futures were just starting to unfold. For one of my classmates, his future is beginning to unfold.

A few weeks ago, quite a few people from cohort 39 gathered together to have one last barbecue and gathering before Mike Pacini left for New York. Mike got an internship with NBA Entertainment in the programming department for 10 weeks. Amazing, right? 

As I've mentioned in previous blogs, USF not only provides us with opportunities to intern and work with companies in the Bay Area, but also the ability to reach out beyond the Bay Area. Of course there's always the option to transfer to the Los Angeles campus if we get an opportunity in SoCal, in fact, we've had quite a few classmates from the LA cohort transfer to San Francisco. But, no one has taken an internship outside of these two areas where weekly classes aren't available. 

Here's a little bit of information about how Mike got this awesome internship and how it's going thus far:

NB: How early did you apply for the internship?
MP: I applied back in late November. The interview process included one Skype interview at 6:30 AM where I wore a jacket, tie and sweatpants. The 2nd interview was over the phone and lasted about an hour. I didn't find out till about 2 months later.

NB: What are your day to day duties?
MP: I get tasked with small project everyday, all related to media content. It may be anything from data entry to idea generation. I also get to sit in all the staff meetings, which is cool.

NB: Because this internship is in New York, what was the process you had to go through with Stan and other administrators because you'd miss so much school?
MP: Stan was aware of my application process from day one. Because this is a rare opportunity, I was allowed to miss the two classes to move to New York to work for the NBA. I'll make up the classes before I graduate (either online or with another cohort).

NB: What has been the coolest experience you've had so far?
MP: The coolest experience I've had thus far with the NBA has been a Q & A panel with Adam Silver. We will have another one with him towards the end of the program as well as one with deputy commissioner Mark Tatum. I'm also looking forward to working draft night later this month. 

NB: Are there any major projects you will be a part of once you have more experience in this organization?

MP: We have this project called the "Think Tank" where myself and 6 other grad interns will ultimately present our research on global e-commerce to NBA Senior executives.

Just a few photos Mike has sent me over the weeks
Mike will return to us in August, so until then I'll keep everyone updated on his adventure in New York. As I've said before, having the ability to move across the country for an internship without putting a stop to classwork is just one of the perks USF provides. 






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