PRSSA at Salem State University

Experience Beyond the Classroom: Starting a Small Business

The key to start any small business venture is identifying a need. You also need to be passionate about that need.

While sitting with my friends at home on our college winter break we decided we wanted a place to play lacrosse during the winter. We called the local indoor facility and found out it was going to be $200 for an hour, so we rented out the field for 3 weeks and worked very hard to bring in 20 people at $10 dollars a person. We used Facebook to advertise these nights and pull people in. We started a group called “Lax on Breaks” which paved the way for Backyard Lacrosse.

The concept of a summer league was a small thought in my head but never a real possibility till one of my professors suggested it. He offered to call New Balance who currently owns Warrior/Brine lacrosse and try and get sponsorship. After that it was off the races to start preparing the league.

The local park where I learned to play lacrosse was basically right in my backyard, I thought about naming everything after the park itself but then decided on Backyard Lacrosse. After consulting with my partners we figured out that everyone truly learned lacrosse in their backyards. With the name set, it was time to make a new Facebook page. However recruitment was tougher this time around, we needed to recruit 6 teams of at least 16 people, that’s 96 people. We only had a base of 20 to work with and they were all from the same town.

Playing high school lacrosse in the area, I was able to pinpoint people I had played against in other towns. I was able to find five people from surrounding towns that I would like to enter teams. With my team and the efforts put in by those five people I was able to walk away with 6 teams. We ran the league for ten weeks, plus a week of playoffs, at the facility Fore Kicks with their oversight.

With such a successful turnout we have planned to run again next summer at a different location. We want to pull in 10 teams and are also looking to pull in an older crowd between the ages of 18-40. Backyard Lacrosse will be relocating to a new field with a full service bar for our older cliental.

Backyard Lacrosse taught me a lot about branding. I did not want the league to be about me but more of a community and about the ideals of playing lacrosse together. I learned to brand and worked very hard to come up with a logo and other clothing items to really put the Backyard Lacrosse name out there. I also learned about marketing, there are other leagues in the area and while they have the strength of being established my league was easier to get to and cheaper. It was just a matter of getting it out there. Facebook can be a great way to reach large amounts of people. I also made flyers that I handed out at high school lacrosse games.

This opportunity has brought me more of an idea of what I want to do with my life. I have made valuable connections in the field of sports marketing and public relations, specifically in the sport of lacrosse. I have had internships with Warrior Lacrosse and CroArt Lacrosse. Founding this league has taught me more about marketing and public relations than any classroom ever could.

 

Journey to Disney World

For many little girls, their childhood dreams are to grow up to be a beautiful princess, and marry prince charming. I am now 22 years old, hardly a child anymore, and I am most definitely not a princess. I did however intern at the most magical place on earth for 8 wonderful months in 2010. Of course, by “most magical place” I am talking about the Walt Disney World Resort!

The Disney College Program offers college and international students the opportunity of a life time. I was accepted into the 2010 Spring Advantage program. It began January 20^th and ended on August 6^th.

I first learned about the program on a family trip to Disney World in the 6^th grade. I noticed that one of the cast member’s in the Magic Kingdom had their university on their name tag rather than a city and state. When I asked them about it, they said they were doing the Disney College Program. I was curious and asked more questions about it. For the rest of that vacation, I stopped any cast member I saw with a university or college on their nametags and asked them about their experiences in the program.

It was as if I were doing a research paper on the program. I asked several cast members involved in the program about how they learned about it, how they applied, if it was competitive, how many hours they were working, if there was college credit offered, was it paid, and was there housing? When I got home, I did more research on my own and looked up the Disney College Program website; a cast member in a store at the Contemporary Resort had written it down on the back of a receipt for me.

I became obsessed with the idea of spending part of my time in college living and working in Walt Disney World. When I got to Salem State University, I learned that they no longer participated in the Disney College Program. I would not take no for an answer from them. I did some serious research during my freshman year and unveiled a loophole! I found one professor, a liaison for the Disney College Program, who offered a directed study through the Sports Movement Science Department for credit on the program. I contacted her immediately, and learned everything I needed to do before applying. Although I wanted to do this program more than anything, I did not want it to prevent me from graduating in four years. I made it my personal goal to take over 16 credits each semester in order to prepare for my potential semester away from Salem State. Finally the first week in September 2009, I got the email I had been waiting to receive for nearly 9 years, “We are now accepting applications for the Spring Semester and Spring Advantage Programs.”

I did not need to prepare anything; I had been doing that for the past 9 years. Within an hour of receiving the application online, I had completely finished it. The last step of the application was setting up a phone interview. I set mine up for the following week, and couldn’t wait.

On the day of the phone interview, I dressed up, wrote down questions, and went to my dad’s house where I knew it would be quiet in the background during my conversation. I could not have asked for a better interview. I had an answer for every question asked and was confident in my responses. Once the interview was completed the waiting process began. I would not receive notice confirming or denying acceptance for at least four to six weeks!

Finally after impatiently waiting, and incessant mailbox checking, a white envelope arrived on September 24^th, the day before my birthday. I carefully opened the white envelope with the Mickey Mouse icon on it and pulled out a purple folder. It was filled with several multi-colored informational sheets and a white letter with a Mickey Mouse icon on it. It was an acceptance letter!!! I had been accepted into an attractions role. Happy birthday to me! I was hoping and praying for the Great Movie Ride; it has always been my favorite attraction there.

I went online and paid for my one time housing fee and accepted the role I had been offered. The next step was finding a roommate. I signed up for the roommate matching program and was matched with Ashley Williams. That was one of the best decisions I made! Ashley and I are still as close as sisters to this day!

When we finally began our program in January 2010 it was nothing short of magical. The first week felt as if I had pixie dust pumped through my veins. We took several classes to learn about the Walt Disney Company and its ideals. Finally, at the end of the first week, we learned where we would be working. My dream came true! I was assigned the role of a Great Movie Ride Tour Guide!

After going through training in Disney World, I realized that if every company trained the way they do, things would be done much faster and more efficient. Training is a rigorous five day process. My training consisted of learning how to operate and drive vehicles, memorize a 30 page script in two days, loading and unloading guests, greeting guests, assisting guests needing special assistance, and adhering to safety precautions. On my third day at The Great Movie Ride, I was able to drive a vehicle full of 70 people while spieling for 22 minutes by myself. I felt accomplished! After the five days of training in Disney World, they give you an assessment. An assessment is basically having another trained cast member shadowing you for a day and making sure that you can handle every position at your location. I passed my assessment and was able to do an honorary process they do at The Great Movie Ride. Movie riders who have worked on the attraction and have been assessed, have their handprint on a wall in the back hallway of the ride. I did my handprint in green, my favorite color, and autographed it. It was such an honor!

When my college program ended in August, I knew I did not want to leave the company. I was offered a seasonal position and accepted. I intend on staying with the company for as long as they will have me. I am currently in the process of preparing for the professional internship application process, and saving money to move back to Orlando when I graduate from Salem State University this May! Walt Disney said, “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them”, and that is exactly what I intend to keep doing!

Karina Dossantos

Crossing the Finish Line

Interning is something we all have to do in order to get our PR degree from Salem State. Last year, I decided I wanted to get an internship in a field that I had not considered to be for me.

The things I’m interested in are books, fashion, events and anything fast paced. I never thought I would end up interning in the sports marketing department at Conventures Inc. in Boston. But the experience I had is one I will never forget.

My interview was in March and that morning I was up at 6 a.m. and ready to hop on the commuter rail at 7 so I would be at the office early for my 9:30 a.m. interview. The office setting is what appealed to me before anything—feeling like a “grown up,” commuting into Boston and having responsibilities is something they can’t teach you in a classroom.

After finding out I was accepted for the intern position, I gave them the date I would start—May 21st. Starting off, I was nervous and anxious to make a good impression. I had to learn the basic routine, how to fill out the time card and what kind of jobs I’d be doing.

The sports marketing department is responsible for road races. This sounds boring but the amount of work that goes into these things is unbelievable. Not only do you need sponsors but you also need merchandise, a certified course map, volunteers, food, signage, and of course staff to work the event.

As an intern, I had to look up places to contact for volunteers. I called schools and Boys and Girls Clubs, hoping that students wouldn’t cringe at the 4 a.m. set up time. That’s right, 4 a.m. set up for a race that starts at 8 a.m. It sounds bad but when you like what you’re doing you learn to appreciate coffee on a whole other level.

Just because a race is over and the last runner crosses the finish line, doesn’t mean that the work is done for that account. Next, we had to input the form information from on site registration. All this work was systematic and one of my favorite things to do. I was able to learn a new skill, this being file maker.

When my internship ended in August, I walked away with a new found appreciation for road races and all the people that plan them.

By interning in a field that I had not considered to be for me, I was able to push myself to learn new skills and now I can continue to experience different work environments.

Interning is about testing the waters and figuring out what you want to do with your career. Take a chance and try something you hadn’t considered before. Maybe it’s non-profit; maybe it’s sports. Either way you will always walk away with experience.