“Out of all the teams that I did my research on, when I got there and was actually in their environment, they’re probably the most stand-up team that I’ve been with,” said Senior Communication Studies (CMST) Student Sydneé Carter (she/her). 

In Spring 2021, Carter decided to finish up her coursework at Temple University closer to home in Prince George’s County, Maryland. After finding four asynchronous classes to take in the Fall 2021 semester, she began looking for an internship in the sports industry.

Because she lives closer to the Washington Football Team territory, Carter never thought much about the Baltimore Ravens until she saw on LinkedIn — an app she considers her best friend — that the team was offering summer and full-year internships. Carter applied for a full-year internship and started in her new position as ticket operations/customer service intern on May 26, 2021, just six hours after returning from a trip to Mexico.

On a typical day, Carter drives an hour to M&T Bank Stadium and arrives by 8:30 a.m. From there, she works with Personal Seat License (PSL) owners doing everything from calling them to ask them to renew their license for the season to sending out surprise packages to thank PSL owners for their dedication to Ravens football. After a full day of work, Carter usually leaves the stadium by 5 p.m., then goes home to do her schoolwork.

“Every day is new, every day is different,” Carter said. In addition to her work with PSL owners, Carter is a club level supervisor on game day and helps with other events hosted at the stadium. She is happy to stay late after work if it means she will get experience interacting with departments other than her own such as stadium operations, retail and marketing. 

Carter got her start in the sports industry when Director of Communication Studies Scott Gratson (he/him) told her about a job with the football team in the Temple Athletics Department. The job, he told her, involved talking to people and planning events in a fast-paced environment: everything Carter loves to do.

Carter worked with Temple Football for the 2018 season and became the lead intern for the 2019 season. There, she worked with former Assistant Director of On Campus Recruiting at Temple Football Jes Hyrn (she/her). 

“Sydneé is a really driven individual and that’s someone that I personally look for while being a part of my team,” Hyrn said. “She’s always willing to do anything that needs to get done.”

“I felt like I really proved myself. I really found a love for the sports industry,” Carter said of her time with Temple football. 

In addition to her work with Temple Football, Carter has been heavily involved in the Communication Studies Department. She served as the student director of recruiting, assisting with open houses and outreach and as a Klein Rising peer mentor during its pilot year. Carter was also the communication coordinator for the Society of Minorities in Sports and took CSI 3100 with Gratson, a course that led to her getting an internship with NYC Pride in 2020.

“Sydneé has been an absolutely integral part of the Communication Studies Program,” Gratson said. He is thrilled to see her enjoying her work with the Ravens and is grateful that she was willing to speak to his CMST 1111: Communications and Public Life course about her experiences. “She’s just such a complete and utterly kind person,” he said.

Right now, Carter is excited to finish up her last few classes at Temple and is crossing her fingers that she will get a full-time position with the Ravens. “It’s been so exciting and thrilling. I couldn’t ask for a better team to be working with,” she said.

Carter is grateful to the Ravens for allowing her to explore different departments as an intern and is learning to be flexible as the sports industry often demands. While she might pivot to different sports and teams throughout her career, Carter knows that the sports industry is where she wants to be.