It’s a process that only happens every two years, but this semester Bradley students will have a special opportunity to apply to the NBC internship program for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
The position is open to all undergraduate students in the nation, but Bradley students can take advanatge of the univeristy’s relationship with NBC to get ahead of the competition. However, getting on the special list wasn’t any type of quick string pulling.
The partnership between NBC and Bradley originated sometime after 2009, when the communications department wanted to add an international dimension to the new sports communication major that had just opened.
Professor of communication Paul Gulifor was one who sought support from NBCUniversal to set up an opportunity for Bradley students.
“We wanted something in addition to coursework that would focus on the international-global aspect for sports, and there’s nothing more global and international than the Olympics,” Gullifor said.
Gullifor said NBC didn’t want to trivialize its other relationships with universities that were already involved in the Olympics. He said he didn’t want to replace another school, but “set another placemat at the table.”
“I kept telling them that we have students who not only have the communication skills you seek, but they [have] sports backgrounds,” Gullifor said. “We have exactly what you’re looking for.’”
This year, applicants had to submit applications by Sept. 13 and are currently waiting for the next round, a follow-up video interview. Upon receiving the notice, students have 24 to 72 hours to complete the interview.
Following those interviews, finalists will be selected for the internship. The experience will last from late July to early August and has the option for applicants to work in the host city, Tokyo, or in Stamford, Connecticut where the NBC Sports Group is headquatered.
Sophomore television arts major Kathleen McPartland is one of the students who applied this year. She said she was nervous about applying.
“The Olympics have always been one of my favorite things to watch,” McPartland said. “This would be an absolute dream come true if it were to happen, which makes it so exciting.”
Bradley alumna and assistant director of public relations Haley Krus was once in McPartland’s spot and just as nervous. She interned with the Olympics during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
She added that Bradley was a great help in laying out all the steps she needed to complete the rigorous application.
While mingling with other interns from different universities, Krus realized they had to go through the preparation for the application process alone.
“When I actually got to my internship and talked to students from other schools, they didn’t have anything like that at all,” Krus said. “They were kind of on their own figuring it out.”
According to an email Gullifor sent out to the applicants on Sept. 13, NBC expects to have interns selected by November.
