Alyssa Jacobs, an Athletics Communications intern and member of the Ohio State dance team, is diving deeper into the internships of fellow Huntington Bucks Go Pro participants this summer. Edition No. 2 is Deja Bell from the Track & Field team.
June 8 | C.J. Jackson | CoachingJune 8 | C.J. Jackson | Coaching
Deja Bell is a rising senior majoring in Sports Industry with a minor in Business. She hopes to one day be a sports marketer for a top sports company such as ESPN, Nike, or the NBA. Taking a step in the right direction, Bell accepted an internship with Huntington Bucks Go Pro this summer in the area of IMG Marketing.
“I was interested in Bucks Go Pro because I wanted experience in the professional field. Especially since I’ve recently suffered a knee injury, I thought now is the perfect time to transition from just being a student-athlete to being a professional. I want to show future employers that I took initiative and took advantage of the opportunities that were offered,” Bell said.
Her career aspirations have changed quite drastically from when she was in elementary school, so determined to be a teacher one day that she distinctly remembers the white board her mom bought her to foster this passion. However, as she grew as an athlete she became fascinated with the world of sports marketing.
Working with the IMG Marketing team, Bell is still making an impact on young children, just in a different way then she had originally planned. She works in sales and fulfillment, and is especially excited about the upcoming Buckeyes Care events, a partnership between IMG, Ohio State Athletics, and other partners to give back to the community. She is helping to organize numerous days of service.
“My favorite moment of the internship so far has been the playmakers event I got to help with. We randomly selected an elementary school and donated money to the school to keep kids active. I was able to go to the event and to see the excitement on the kids’ faces when they found out they were getting a rock climbing wall and excitement just to see Brutus was really cool,” Bell said.
A member of the track team, Bell is unfortunately unable to compete because of her knee injury but she is looking forward to cheering on the team from the sidelines this season. She says her experience with the program has helped her prepare for the workforce by learning how to be okay with the mistakes she is undoubtedly going to make while learning the tricks of the trade.
Bell’s favorite part of being an Ohio State athlete has been the immediate sense of community and friendship, not only within her team but within the broader student-athlete community. The dynamic created by being able to recognize a student-athlete in class and having an instant friendship and common ground helps diminish the boundaries between teams.
Bell says if she could have any job at the University, she would love to have Gene Smith’s because of the many different ways he is able to make an impact on student-athletes.
“He wants us to be great on the field and in the classroom, and wants to ensure there are opportunities available to us after graduation and that is amazing,” Bell said.
