Nikkel Powell

04/29/2024
SPM-4601-01
Self-Analysis Report

Name: Nikkel Powell

Name of Internship: Northeast Guilford High School

Supervisor: Trevei Foreman

Date: 04/29/2024

My internship was a great experience that allowed me to learn new things and step outside of

my comfort zone. I got to learn the ins and outs of being an athletic director and what the day-to-

day tasks consist of. Most importantly, I was giving the opportunity to assist with building a new

athletics program with the new athletic director at Northeast Guilford High School, which

allowed us to bounce ideas off each other and create a relationship with him as a mentor while I

continued to navigate through the sports industry and exploring possible avenues I may enjoy.

Outside of working under Foreman, I got to learn and see first-hand how to stay on top of a

male-dominated industry while staying true to myself letting my personality shine through my
work and being respected as well as a black woman. Foreman gave me the space to shine and

make an impact at the school for myself, so I could be remembered while advocating for me in

future opportunities. Weekly tasks that I was assigned were things like setting up things for game

days, hiring new staff in the athletic department, revamping the social media pages, taking notes,

making sure students were eligible for the upcoming season, reaching out to potential sponsors

for the football season. Lastly, executing the first senior night in Northeast Guilford High School

history. Overall, I got to learn and practice, patience, communication skills, employee

management, organization, and a lot of time management that I will be able to take into other

internships/jobs in the future.

I learned various things at my internship, fundamental skills as well as personal growth. I

was given the opportunity to improve my communication skills and stepping out of my comfort
zone by taking on task that I never imagined I could be good at because I had the support of Mr.
Foreman cheering me on to be successful. The personal skills I used and practiced on a regular
basis are what I will continue to take beyond this internship and my career. The fundamental
skills I learned was balancing multiple projects at one time and making sure you hire a team you
can trust to build on your vision in a program. I got to get hands-on experience step by step with
making sure the students are eligible to play. I learned the student look for the administration to
have their best interest at heart and at the end of the day, they want to feel supported and loved
by those they spend majority of their time with. I learned a lot about building connections with
the students and parents will help you understand how to better cater to their needs and wishes as
an athlete. Lastly, you must help them be successful on and off the field, especially with their
academics that is most important in high school and what allows them to continue the sport that
they love as well as keeping them out of trouble.
I experienced the most personal growth by continuing to gain better time management and
organization skills. Organization is very important being an athletic director and handling
multiple responsibilities at one time. I wanted to improve my organization skills and working
with the athletic director forced me to do just that. I also learned how to work well with others,
adjust to various personalities, and work in a multifaceted environment paced environment. In
the high school athletics industry sometimes, you must drop what you’re doing in the moment to
cater to a certain task that is more important to the student or the school. Being at my internship
taught me in the school system you wear many different hats and aren’t just an athletic director,
so you must learn how to work quickly and adapt to change. I feel like I adapted to a lot of
change this semester within my internship, personal life, and career that continued to help me
grow as a person. What I struggled with the most during the internship was seeing the different
speeds that the day consisted of. I had to adjust that I was used to the way collegiate and
professional athletics operate and there is always something to do, but at my current internship
the pace was never consistently the same and having to adjust that there can be a lot of slow day
and most of the faced paced environments were created on game days at home. Change is
uncomfortable and getting away from the things that I’m used to and reprogramming myself to
adapt to a new environment is what I struggled with it the most, but it also helped me grow as a
professional.
Throughout my time at Winston-Salem State University and the various internship
experiences I’ve had, the biggest insight I learned in sports management was GAIN A LOT of
hands-on experience. The best way to build your resume is by volunteering and getting
internship experience because you learn a lot of professional growth skills in those environments
that will help you jump-start your career early and easily to transition from school into the
workforce. Networking is also very important in the sport industry and get you places that
education and experience cannot. It is important to hold on your connection because it can land
your first job or future internships just by networking and staying in touch. The sport
management world is a big, but a small industry, and a lot of people know people who can and
are willing to help you reach the next level and achieve your goals, so if you take networking
seriously you will be ahead even before you graduate and set yourself up for success. Internships
have also been important because It allowed me to narrow down and understand what I may
really be interested in pursuing in the sports industry, so every experience is a good experience.
Overall, I would say I did very well at my internship by adding to the companies’ values and
executing the visions that my supervisor saw for the department. I also got to learn some of my
weaknesses and work on them throughout my time there. I can confidently say that I’m not the
same women that I wanted in my internship as, but I have become a better and more seasoned
version of myself.
 I would recommend this internship site to other students because I believe it is something
everyone should experience and get multiple different hands-on experiences that covers different
sports avenues in one internship.
Lastly, my seminar project was to execute the first basketball senior night. It was a great
experience to be a part of and allowed me to add my youthful touch. My supervisor gave me
complete control on how to execute the night and I was extremely satisfied with the results. I was
able to get flowers ordered for the students along with a gift card to show our appreciation for
their hard work and dedication as student athletes. I also go to find a DJ to play upbeat music the
entire night as well as making them feel special as them with coming out to play with being
introduced with a light show. I also was able to put up balloons in the hallways and continue to
make them feel special throughout the night. My goal was to give them a night to remember and
cherish forever as their last time playing at their high school. The feedback I received was
remarkable and set the tone for the years to come and gave them something the players can’t stop
talking about. Overall, I am grateful for my experience with Northeast Guilford Highschool and
wouldn’t trade it for anything as it made a large impact on my career.