Thomas Koehl

Major: Business Communications 

Recruiting Intern, Purdue Football 

1.) How did you learn about this internship opportunity? 

I learned about this internship opportunity through a classmate which I was working on a

project with. 

2.) How has your internship helped build your skills and clarify your career goals?  How do you apply your Liberal Arts skills to your internship?  

 This internship helped me solidify my career goals by giving me the opportunity to build

experience and understand what it takes in the world of sports. It can be a very

fast-paced environment that can be hard to adjust to. My liberal arts degree was crucial

in order to find success in this role. With the wide range of courses I was able to take, I

was able to pull from the knowledge given to me and apply it.

3.) What is a piece of advice you would give someone looking for an internship?  

A piece of advice I would give would be to not settle. Internships are a great way to build

experience and help gain invaluable experience in different areas. With internships being

so valuable, take your time choosing and deciding on which one will truly give you the

experience and knowledge necessary.

4.) What specific responsibilities have you undertaken during your internship?

One of my favorite parts of the internship was helping run the recruiting camps. I got to

interact with a lot of young athletes looking for their shot in the Big10. I took down their

measurables, made sure they got to the next drill and would talk to other staff about the

performance of the athletes.

5.) In what ways has the College of Liberal Arts at Purdue University supported your internship journey? How has your participating in our job-ready program specifically aided your professional development? 

This is the second time being a recipient of the Job Ready Internship Award and it has

been crucial to building my career. Without the college of liberal arts support, I would

have been able to take on the internships that I have. In addition to this, The college of

liberal arts has abundant resources that helped me build my resume, find the right

internships and prepare me for life after college. The CLA gives every student the best

opportunities to truly feel comfortable in their ability to succeed during and after college.

6.) Could you highlight a standout aspect of your experience in this program that you find particularly noteworthy? 

 The support is the biggest thing in this program. As I have stated before, the CLA gives

all the support in the world and it carries into everything they do and this program is no

exception.