By Chris Hybl
Golf Channel, The First Tee’s proud media partner, has given three alumni of The First Tee a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity this summer–a 12-week summer internship at the Golf Channel studios in Orlando! The program allows these junior golfers to gain first-hand experience in their respective areas, while developing work samples for their personal portfolio. Applicants are required to have been former participants of The First Tee program, enrolled as a junior or senior in college pursuing a career in marketing, communications or journalism with a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher. The three junior golfers that make up the inaugural class of The First Tee Golf Channel interns are: Lauren Conder, news production; Drake Mosley, marketing; and Kayla Jackson, digital. Morning Drive’s Damon Hack interviewed the three alums and heard more about their journey from The First Tee to Golf Channel intern. Watch this clip from Morning Drive to see how The First Tee has helped prepare these junior golfers for a successful future. This exciting Golf Channel opportunity allows the interns to work with colleagues who are experts in their area of business; attend various workshops to learn about other areas of the company; and participate in a variety of social and networking opportunities with fellow Golf Channel employees.
Mosley, Golf Channel’s marketing intern, is responsible for tasks including researching integration opportunities, assisting with on-air promotion planning & tracking, and building weekly in-show promotional packets. Mosley is currently an accounting major at Talladega College in Alabama and is expects to graduate in May 2016. He holds a 4.0 grade-point average and is captain of the school’s golf team. Mosley was a former participant of The First Tee of the Golden Triangle where he also mentored younger participants.
Conder is serving as the station’s news production intern for the summer, and she assists with researching story ideas, logging master show and field tapes, and acting as a Golf Central production assistant. Conder is a former member of The First Tee of Contra Costa where she also coached Par, Birdie and Eagle classes. Conder graduated from the University of Richmond in May with a bachelor’s degree in political science while also playing on the women’s golf team.
Jackson, the digital intern, is responsible for creating and monitoring social streams, loading weekly content, and managing topic pages and forum topics. Jackson will be a junior at Rutgers University this coming fall and she has worked on the university’s newspaper and student-run broadcast television station. Jackson is a former participant and coach counselor of The First Tee of Raritan Valley.
The interns are excellent examples of inspiration for young people in The First Tee program. The First Tee coaches and volunteers across the country continually work to give life to The First Tee’s mission: to build character and instill life-enhancing values in their participants. And now these three interns are, quite literally, working examples of that mission.