Student-athletes double up as interns in athletic department

Sadie Yarosh
Fri, 19 Jan 2024 02:28:12 +0000
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Now that her playing days are over, former soccer player Bri Gazmarian works as the director of the digital media program at Ohio State. Credit: Courtesy of Bri Gazmarian

After five and a half hours of blocking pucks as a goalie for the Ohio State women’s hockey team, Quinn Kuntz was exhausted.

Even so, her day was far from over.?

Kuntz traded her goalie stick for a camera and headed over to Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, where she spent the next two hours photographing the men’s soccer team and posting social content.

Kuntz is one of many Ohio State student-athletes who split time between their team commitments and interning for the athletic department’s communications team, where they create digital media content and build skills they will need to leap from playing sports to working in them.

Bri Gazmarian, director of the digital media program, is a former Buckeye soccer player and digital media intern for the athletic department. She joined the department full-time in 2022 after serving two years as a social media specialist for SoFi Stadium in Southern California.?

Gazmarian said student-athletes can sometimes leverage more content for social media pages because of their familiarity with the life of athletics.

“When you have a photographer, videographer, or just a content creator who’s meshed in with the team… [an athlete’s] personality is going to come out a little bit more,” Gazmarian said. “You’re going to be less shy — you’re going to be your more authentic self.”

Using her previous experience as both an athlete and intern, Gazmarian created a flexible work environment that allows athletes to balance schoolwork, sports and the job. Interns work events whenever their schedule allows and go into the office a few days a week.

“Ohio State does a really good job of helping student-athletes set them up for the future,” Kuntz said. “I think this experience has been really good not just for me as an athlete but as a working individual.”

Women’s rower Lydia Stute said she came into the internship with little social media knowledge but has been able to quickly learn the ropes and make an impact in her role.

“I feel like I’m actually doing meaningful work,” Stute said. “I’m taking photos and taking videos, I’m making these edits and they’re being shared on all of [the] athletic social platforms. I never feel like I’m just an intern when I’m in there.”

Women’s gymnast Kaitlyn Grimes said she believes the program has opened her eyes to a new side of sports she didn’t see before.

“It’s awesome to be able to be a part of the behind the scenes, but also kind of in the scenes,” Grimes said.

Since joining the digital media team, all three of these student-athletes have decided to pursue a career in the sports industry. They said they each credit the social media internship program for giving them the skills and knowledge to remain successful in this field.

“Ohio State is a very prestigious school,” Kuntz said. “Obviously, our athletics department is second to none. So, it’s just been really cool to be a part of that.”