Valentina Valencia, ESPN Intern

At the end of her sophomore year, CAS junior Valentina Valencia submitted her application to ESPN without knowing exactly what area of marketing she wanted to break into. But she knew she was drawn to sports — growing up Colombian, she has watched soccer her entire life.

Valencia was a part of the T. Howard Foundation, a program that helps college students from underrepresented demographics gain greater access to career-focused opportunities in the entertainment industry. The organization reviewed her resume, conducted a mock interview with her and later matched her with ESPN.

“As someone who has no family working in marketing and no connections to the field, I didn’t really know how to get started,” Valencia said. “Having that support and knowing that there is a foundation out there that wants to help people like me get their foot in the door was so critical. I don’t think I would be as confident as I am speaking to people if not for them.”

Valencia serves as an intern on ESPN’s Synergy, Strategy and Solutions team. This role gives her the unique opportunity to work on collaborations between ESPN and the Walt Disney Company’s media properties, including Disney entertainment, Hulu and ABC. Valencia’s work focuses on integrating Disney films into ESPN’s advertising campaigns and tracking these projects to assess the company’s engagement with newer audiences and demographics.

Looking forward, Valencia plans to continue pursuing marketing. While being an MCC major has exposed her to a wide range of career options, interning at ESPN has helped Valencia establish a clearer sense of direction.

“It’s one thing to have a guest speaker talk about what they do at their jobs,” Valencia said. “But actually being able to shadow it did a lot for me.”

Sihyeon Bae, Server at Barn Joo

Steinhardt sophomore Sihyeon Bae wasn’t sure of what to do with all the extra time in her day. 

“I started working just because I didn’t want to just spend my free time on my phone,” Bae said.

Both the prospect of earning money and the chance to hone her social skills encouraged Bae to become a server at Korean-fusion restaurant Barn Joo in Union Square. Bae found it tough to adjust to her new routine, balancing her part-time job with classes, friends and extracurriculars. She eventually developed a schedule that worked for her, and after a year working as a server, she now clocks around 14 hours a week. 

In the long term, Bae wants to pursue an internship related to her Studio Art major — but said internships are much harder to obtain than part-time work. In the meantime, her job as a server keeps her from staying idle while earning some extra cash.

Sophie England, Barista at Time Out Market

Tisch and Steinhardt junior Sophie England works out of necessity. To help pay for school, England began working as a barista at Coffee Project NY at Time Out Market in Union Square. 

England entered the position not only as the youngest among her coworkers, but with no previous barista experience to boot. Despite this, she quickly picked up the tricks of the trade, even dabbling in bartending at the market thanks to her willingness to learn and the expertise of her coworkers. 

“I feel like I’m a little baby,” England said. “Taking my little baby steps, learning all of the things from my awesome, wise coworkers.”

Even though England’s initial motivation for employment was financial stability, her busy schedule has also encouraged her to maintain a disciplined routine.

“I struggle with ADHD, and that’s why I like juggling so much — it keeps me on my toes, and it keeps my brain actively moving rather than having that standstill of procrastination,” England said. “It’s like I’m forced to constantly be actively going from one place to another.”