How can an NFL franchise use merchandise to connect with a new generation of fans while strengthening its identity and traditions?

That was the challenge facing 20 university teams at the 2026 , held Oct. 28-30 during the association’s annual conference in Baltimore. Students were tasked with developing innovative merchandise and marketing strategies to engage Washington Commanders fans ages 13 to 27.

A four-member team from Â鶹ĘÓƵ’s Department of Sport Management rose to the occasion, advancing to the competition’s final round and earning a place among the nation’s top four teams.

Representing Â鶹ĘÓƵ were , Jack Griffin ’27, and , who competed against finalist teams from Simpson College, Syracuse University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The case study required teams to analyze consumer preferences and emerging merchandise trends, identify target audiences, develop original product collections, establish pricing strategies, and create digital marketing campaigns.

Â鶹ĘÓƵ’s presentation centered on six merchandise concepts designed to celebrate the franchise’s traditions, strengthen regional pride, and foster a sense of community among supporters.

Among the team’s proposals was “The 1932,” a customizable work jacket featuring commemorative patches as part of a proposed collaboration with Carhartt. Another concept, “Dawg Tag,” envisioned collectible military-style dog tags engraved with game records and available exclusively at the stadium following Commanders victories.

The students also developed “Major Tuddy’s Military Hat,” a novelty item inspired by the Green Bay Packers’ recognizable Cheesehead tradition, and “The Take the W Flag,” a victory flag designed to build fan pride. Additional concepts included “Take Command Bands,” wristbands intended to connect younger supporters, and the “Triple Star Jersey,” a special-edition design celebrating the shared identity of fans across Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

Using Adobe Photoshop, Canva and ChatGPT, the students created professional-quality merchandise mockups to support their data-driven marketing recommendations and pricing strategies.

Associate Professor of Sport Management Young Do Kim, who accompanied the team to Baltimore, said the students’ previous industry experiences helped shape their approach to the competition.

“The team members’ sport industry internship experiences played a critical role in their success,” Kim said. “Through their professional experiences, the students developed practical knowledge of sport marketing, strategic communications, fan engagement, event operations, and current merchandise trends. They applied these insights to develop creative merchandise concepts and evidence-based marketing strategies for the Commanders.”

The students brought experience from professional sports organizations, marketing agencies and major sporting events.

Cook previously interned with Portland Hearts of Pine, a professional soccer club in Maine, and the Atlantic Coast Conference, while Griffin gained experience with the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour and Carolina Core FC. Selikoff completed an internship with JONESWORKS, a marketing and management agency, and Smith worked with the American Cornhole Association and at Mercedes-Benz Stadium during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Beyond the competition, the students connected with Â鶹ĘÓƵ alumni working for professional sports organizations in Baltimore. The team met with Gabrielle Chambers ’22, client services coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens; Ryan Harper ’25, a Baltimore Ravens retail supervisor for Fanatics; and Nick Ullian ’23, senior coordinator of game presentation for the Baltimore Orioles.

The students also toured M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Ravens, and attended a panel discussion featuring Orioles front office executives and staff at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

On his first day working guest services during FIFA soccer matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, discovered that he didn’t know the sprawling venue’s layout all that well.

With only a brief stadium tour during his internship training, the sport management major struggled to locate certain sections while helping fans find their seats. Determined to be better prepared, Smith arrived an hour early for his next shift to explore the stadium and familiarize himself with its layout.

That initiative became one of the most valuable lessons of his summer internship.

“In my experience, I was kind of expected to learn as I go, or even teach myself a lot of things,” Smith said. “It was a lot less structured. There wasn’t a professor, you know, telling me you have to turn this in at this time.”

Smith shared his story during the Sport Management Internship Forum on Oct. 12, joining fellow students and for a panel discussion about navigating the sport industry, overcoming workplace challenges, and building professional relationships. To view photos from the forum, .

Held in Turner Theatre and the Snow Family Grand Atrium, the annual forum brought together students and faculty to discuss internships and explore potential career paths. Moderated by , the student panel offered a firsthand look at working behind the scenes for prominent sport organizations.

Learning beyond the classroom

For Gill, a senior from Frederick, Maryland, an internship with NASCAR Productions allowed him to combine his interests in motorsports and media.

Gill secured the position while participating in The Sport Experience in Charlotte, drawing on his relationship with Associate Dean Tony Weaver and his involvement in campus media activities.

Once at NASCAR, he quickly recognized that the expectations of a professional production environment differed from those of the classroom.

While his coursework had introduced him to Adobe Premiere Pro, Gill needed to sharpen his editing skills to meet the demands of the position. He learned that asking questions and seeking guidance from colleagues were essential parts of professional growth.

“Don’t be afraid to ask questions when you’re at your job, at your internship, because there’s no shame in it,” Gill said.

The internship reinforced the importance of punctuality, preparation and accountability. Gill has since expanded his motorsports journalism work, including covering a NASCAR race in Richmond, Virginia, where he interviewed drivers alongside established industry reporters.

Moore, a sport management and psychology double major from Wellesley, Massachusetts, spent the summer working in community relations for the Boston Red Sox.

Her responsibilities ranged from hosting community groups before games at Fenway Park to participating in events around Boston. Some workdays stretched from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., a significant adjustment from the predictable schedule of college classes.

Still, Moore found that some of her most rewarding moments came when she volunteered for assignments outside her regular duties. She assisted with ticketing, marketing, concerts and the organization’s charitable foundation, gaining a broader understanding of the many career paths available to her.

“Those were honestly like the best moments I have for my entire summer because it not only introduced me to so many other people that I got to work with, but also like it really connected me to the other interns in my program who are still some of my best friends,” Moore said.

Finding direction through internships

The forum opened with a keynote address from Anthony Bamford ’25, coordinating producer for Â鶹ĘÓƵ Sports Vision, who reflected on how internships helped shape his career interests.

Before returning to his alma mater, Bamford interned with the Atlantic Coast Conference and Durham Bulls, gaining exposure to different areas of the sport industry, from game operations and event management to live production.

During his time with the ACC, Bamford helped coordinate officiating logistics and game-day operations. One of his biggest responsibilities involved leading approximately 30 volunteers for activities at the ACC Football Championship. The assignment challenged him to become a more confident leader, particularly when directing volunteers who were older and more experienced.

Bamford encouraged students to look beyond the résumé-building benefits of internships, noting that they can also open doors to research, networking and career exploration.

“Just because your internship ends doesn’t mean what you’re doing as an intern has to end,” Bamford said. “It’s all stuff you can carry over and keep moving forward.”

Following the presentations in Turner Theatre, students gathered in the Snow Family Grand Atrium for an informal networking session featuring internship presentations.

Nearly 50 student interns were listed as participants, representing organizations across professional and collegiate sports, media, marketing, community recreation and event management. Their placements included the Cincinnati Reds, FOX Sports, Atlantic Coast Conference, D.C. United, PGA Tour Live and numerous other organizations.

Student Interns

Caleb Albert – American Junior Golf Association (AJGA)
Laila Anderson – Baller Sports Agency
Henry Anning – Cincinnati Reds
Grace Carabillo – Northside Youth Organization
Brodie Carroll – Â鶹ĘÓƵ Athletics
Hannah Chandler – Danville Otterbots
Andrew Cox – Element 78 Experiences
Tyler Craig – Richmond Kickers
Seth Cushinsky – Gastonia Ghost Peppers
John Drape – Octagon, FIFA World Cup
Maddie Engelkraut – Fox Sports NYC
Jack Farmer – Bourne Braves
Luke Forrester – Nike Tennis Camp/Pepperdine University
Madi Galindo – Peak Sport Management, Wofford College
Jack Griffin – Hurricane Junior Golf Tour
Jonah Grossman – SunBelt Baseball League
Tone Hart – Alamance County YMCA
Jack Hayes – Queen City SC
Zoey Hayes – Atlantic Coast Conference
Eric Jones – Alamance Community College Youth Summer Camp
Owen Kelley – Salvation Army Burlington
Nhycer Kelly – Salvation Army Burlington
Wynne Kenna – Joe Favorito
Nate Kennedy – RBC Wealth Management
Martin Kozak – Hickory FC
Ari Lloyd-Farber – Brewster Whitecaps
Jackson Marcus – WAVY 10
Kaitlin Mariani – Â鶹ĘÓƵ Athletics
Emma Mayo – Breezemont Summer Camp
Justin Miles – PGA Tour Live
Logan Miller – FIFA World Cup/NAPA Auto
Sydney Moore – Boston Red Sox
Ryan Nedwed – Burlington Sock Puppets
Alex Neuman – IMG Licensing
Anna Pfeiffer – High Point Rockers
Lincoln Proops – Prospect Select Baseball
Will Riggs – Zawyer Sports
Liv Roellke – Burlington United FC
Lily Rosenberg – Danbury Westerners
Ryan Shorten – Durham Bulls
Noah Stephenson – The Sports and Entertainment Group
Nate Sterling – All the Smoke Productions
Aiden Stuart – Foundation Management & Pro-productions Inc.
Jack Taggard – Danville Otterbots
Joe Taylor – Salem City FC
Abby Waeltz – Flex Works Sports
Holden Warsham – Lake Norman Harbor Hippos
Zimere Winston – Â鶹ĘÓƵ Athletics
Mia Zebley – DC United
Jacob Zik – Body Focus Performance
Carena Ziolkowski – Danvers Indoor Sports

For more than a decade, has built a reputation as one of Charlotte’s most trusted journalists, reporting on breaking news, holding public officials accountable, and keeping his community informed.

On Oct. 9, as part of the university’s Homecoming Weekend, the WSOC-TV reporter returned to his alma mater to receive the School of Communications’ 2026 Outstanding Alumnus Award.

Bruno, the 16th recipient of the honor, was recognized during the school’s Alumni Campus Connect gathering in Snow Family Grand Atrium, surrounded by students, faculty, staff and fellow graduates. Among those in attendance was retired journalism professor Rich Landesberg, Bruno’s longtime mentor, whose presence made the recognition especially meaningful.

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Since graduating in 2014, Bruno has established himself as a leading voice in investigative journalism, earning Walter Cronkite, Alfred I. duPont-Columbia, Edward R. Murrow and George Polk awards, along with six Emmy Awards. He was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in 2020, and his investigative reporting helped expose election fraud in North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District, drawing national attention.

“Without Rich and without this school, this kid from Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, would have never had any of these opportunities,” Bruno said during his acceptance remarks. “Thank you, Â鶹ĘÓƵ, for everything you have given to me.”

In presenting the award, Communications Dean Kenn Gaither praised Bruno’s professional accomplishments and his commitment to the communities he serves.

“It is always gratifying to watch an Â鶹ĘÓƵ graduate succeed, but there’s something particularly special about watching one of our own become such an important and trusted voice in the community he serves.”
– Dean Kenn Gaither

Gaither also highlighted Bruno’s continued connection to Â鶹ĘÓƵ, noting the significance of honoring him in the same atrium where Bruno and fellow alumnus Gary Grumbach ’16 organized two years earlier.

“That day, Joe was here to honor someone who helped shape him,” Gaither said. “Today, in the very same space, we have the privilege of honoring Joe.”

The connection came full circle when Bruno, visibly moved, spotted Landesberg standing among the attendees and thanked the former professor for his guidance and friendship.

“I also could not have done any of this without my Rich Landesberg, who I consider a member of my family,” Bruno said. “You are a trusted adviser and friend, and you have made such an impact on my life and so many others.”

Gaither also shared praise from Landesberg, who described Bruno as one of the hardest-working students he had ever taught.

“He is tireless in his commitment to holding the powerful accountable and making sure the people of Charlotte know what is happening in and around their city,” Landesberg said.

At home at Â鶹ĘÓƵ

During his acceptance remarks, Bruno recalled how his mother first introduced him to Â鶹ĘÓƵ, a university unfamiliar to many in his hometown. But during a campus visit, he found himself drawn to the school’s student television studio, where the opportunity to gain hands-on broadcasting experience helped convince him Â鶹ĘÓƵ was the right fit.

As a high school senior, Bruno began watching Phoenix 14News broadcasts, eager to join the student journalists he saw on screen. Once he arrived at Â鶹ĘÓƵ, he quickly became involved in the student news organization, gaining on-air and production experience within weeks of starting college.

“The best thing about Â鶹ĘÓƵ is I didn’t have to wait until my junior year to get involved,” he said. “I was able to hit the ground running right as a freshman.”

Equally influential were the relationships he developed with fellow student journalists. Bruno recalled an environment where students challenged and supported one another, united by their enthusiasm for reporting and serving their community.

“We never competed against each other. We rooted for each other,” he said, explaining that the collaborative spirit continues to shape how he approaches his work today.

Addressing current students, Bruno encouraged them to embrace their interests and make the most of the opportunities available at Â鶹ĘÓƵ.

“Whether it’s about news, whether it’s about sports, whatever you do, keep that light under you and pursue what you are pursuing with all of your heart,” he said.

Alumni return to connect with students

Bruno’s recognition was a highlight of Alumni Campus Connect, an informal networking event where eight graduates shared career insights and advice with current students.

Dan Erdman ’06, vice president of creative media at WWE, drew a crowd of students interested in his work in sports entertainment. Nearby, students connected with Los Angeles-based actress, writer and producer Paige Hullett ’16 to discuss careers in Hollywood and Women of the Â鶹ĘÓƵ Entertainment Empire (WEEE), the alumni organization she leads. Also returning to campus was recent graduate Anjolina Fantaroni ’26, now a reporter at WAFF 48 in Huntsville, Alabama, who offered a firsthand perspective on transitioning from Â鶹ĘÓƵ to the professional newsroom.

Participating alumni included:

• Halle Brennan ’21, Sales Associate Manager, Amazon Ads
• Joe Bruno ’14, Reporter, WSOC-TV
• Dan Erdman ’06, Vice President of Creative Media, WWE
• Anjolina Fantaroni ’26, Reporter, WAFF 48
• Caroline Grell ’17, Program Manager of Product Development Program, Capital One
• Paige Hullett ’16, Los Angeles-based actress, writer, producer, president of Women of the Â鶹ĘÓƵ Entertainment Empire
• Becky Lane ’95, Senior Vice President-Marketing Development Manager, Bank of America
• Sarah Stone Richter ’19, Growth Marketing Manager, Quantam Health

It started as a conversation between friends. A memory from the Ecuadorian Amazon. A question asked after a trip that left them curious about guayusa, a leaf long consumed by Indigenous communities for focus and energy. It had become months of supplier calls, product tests, faculty feedback, formulation decisions and late nights spent figuring out how to turn a shared vision into something real.

Now, the plant-based energy drink they built together is ready for distribution and is being sold at The Oak House at Â鶹ĘÓƵ.

For Vargas-Lopez and Chiriboga, the milestone carries them back to McEwen Dining Hall on campus, where their friendship began during their first year at Â鶹ĘÓƵ in 2022.

Chiriboga, an entrepreneurship major from Quito, Ecuador, and Vargas-Lopez, a sport management major from Austin, Texas, quickly connected over language, culture, soccer and a shared curiosity about the world. They became close friends long before they became business partners.

The idea for YAPA came later, after Chiriboga brought Vargas-Lopez to visit his home country during Thanksgiving break of their sophomore year. It was Vargas-Lopez’s first time in South America, and the trip included time in the Amazon rainforest, where the two were struck by what Chiriboga describes as the “immensity” of the Amazon, from its abundance of life to the plants that have long shaped daily living in the region.

“We came back from visiting the Amazon forest and were just talking through the trip,” Vargas-Lopez says. “That’s when the idea came out. What if we took one of those plants and built a drink around it?”

That question became YAPA, a plant-based energy drink made from guayusa and a larger idea of giving people something more than expected.

The company’s name comes from an Andean expression. In Ecuador, “yapa” refers to a small token added with generosity. At a market, it might be an extra piece of fruit. At a family table, it might be a little more food on someone’s plate.

“It’s a little extra you were not expecting,” Chiriboga says. “That is what we want the product to feel like.”

Building From the Ground Up

Once the idea took hold, Vargas-Lopez and Chiriboga began studying the beverage industry, talking with community members in Ecuador, seeking feedback from mentors and testing whether their concept could become a real business.

They were drawn to the growing interest in cleaner, more transparent beverage options.

“I think the issue we were looking at was the energy drink industry and what a lot of those products contain,” Chiriboga says. “We saw people looking more for clean-label, natural ingredients and more transparency in what they consume.”

That focus helped define YAPA’s direction. They describe the drink as plant-based and made without preservatives, with an emphasis on ingredient transparency, quality and sourcing. Its ingredients include guayusa along with hibiscus, turmeric, ginger, prebiotics and electrolytes, each chosen with a purpose.

For the founders, the product also carries a connection to the place that inspired it.

We came back from visiting the Amazon forest and were just talking through the trip. That’s when the idea came out. What if we took one of those plants and built a drink around it? — Bernardo Vargas-Lopez ’26

In the Amazon, Chiriboga says, guayusa is traditionally consumed in community. People gather early in the morning, drink together and share their dreams before beginning the day. The leaf is associated with focus and energy, but not the jittery rush often linked with conventional energy drinks.

“It gives you that mental clarity and that energy that you need without being hyper,” Chiriboga says.

Turning that inspiration into a company required more than enthusiasm. The two spent months working through sourcing, formulation, packaging, shipping, pricing and compliance while balancing college life.

They also made early decisions about where they would not compromise, even when higher standards meant harder financial choices.

“We decided there were a few strategic points where we would not go for lower quality,” Chiriboga says. “Starting from ingredients and sourcing, we were not going to sacrifice what the product stands for.”

Asking the Right Questions

Both founders say their experience in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business gave them the confidence to approach YAPA not as a finished idea, but as something to test, refine and keep improving.

They turned to faculty members including Sean McMahon, professor of entrepreneurship; Elena Kennedy, associate professor of entrepreneurship; and Brittany Mercado, associate professor of management and chair of the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship.

“The ability to communicate clearly with people who know a lot more than we do has been huge,” Vargas-Lopez says. “The Love School of Business does an amazing job of making professors approachable.”

As YAPA developed, informal conversations became intentional. They stayed after class, brought specific questions to faculty and connected what they were learning in their courses to the choices they were making for the company. The feedback was not always easy, and that was part of its value.

“We don’t need people to just cheerlead,” Vargas-Lopez says. “We need people who will tell us what worked, what didn’t and how to improve. That’s what has really helped us move forward.”

Their time studying abroad also shaped the venture. Chiriboga was in Japan while
Vargas-Lopez was in Australia, making day-to-day operations difficult, so they used the distance to listen.

“We couldn’t really work on operations, so the only thing we could do was talk to people,” Chiriboga says.

They spoke with people in the Amazon, professionals at large companies and mentors in finance, gathering insight before returning to campus.

“We were sponges during that time,” Chiriboga says. “We just gathered as much information as we could.”

A Friendship First

Before they were co-founders, Vargas-Lopez and Chiriboga were friends. They built the kind of trust that later became essential to starting a company together. When one person could not take on a task, the other stepped in. When the work became overwhelming, the friendship helped steady them.

“If I cannot do something right now, I know Juan Daniel can do it, and vice versa,” Vargas-Lopez says. “That trust was built before the business.”

Living together strengthened that rhythm. It also taught them the importance of boundaries.

“We’ve gotten really good at knowing when to talk business and when not to,” Chiriboga says. “If it’s not working time, we try to focus on being friends and being present with other people.”

For Vargas-Lopez, the partnership has been less about dividing every task evenly and more about sharing responsibility over time.

“It’s not always 50-50 all the time,” he says. “But we know we’re in this together, and that makes it easier to handle everything that comes up.”

For Chiriboga, building YAPA with his best friend has been one of the most meaningful parts of the experience.

“I couldn’t be more grateful that my best friend is also my business partner,” he says.

Now based in Austin, Vargas-Lopez and Chiriboga are carrying YAPA into its next stage. The venture that started as a conversation between friends has become something people can open, taste and share.

The process has changed how they think about risk, learning and what it means to build something from scratch. It has also reinforced the value of starting before everything feels certain.

“Don’t be afraid to start,” Chiriboga says. “If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will.”

Vargas-Lopez says the venture has taught him to stay open to what others know and humble enough to keep asking questions.

“Use your resources,” he says. “Ask questions. Learn from every conversation. We haven’t had a single meeting where we didn’t learn something.”

The article, “,” was published Sept. 8 in the Journal of Sport Management, a leading scholarly journal in the sport management field. Dabbs and Burton collaborated on the research with Jeffrey Graham of Texas A&M University and Anton Schulz of Texas Tech University.

Using in-depth interviews with 16 women NCAA head coaches, the researchers explored how coaches responded to unexpected career-defining moments, primarily termination or institutional investigations. Their analysis identified three interconnected themes: an abrupt and isolating separation from the professional world; an attack on personal and professional identity; and lasting consequences affecting finances, health, families and future plans.

Rather than viewing forced job loss simply as a professional transition, the research frames the experience as a broader life crisis and points to the need for more humane off-boarding practices within sport organizations, including compassionate communication and access to independent mental health, financial and career-transition resources.

“This topic is important to me because the experiences of women coaches following an investigation or forced exit are rarely discussed openly,” Dabbs said. “These women entrusted us with deeply personal stories about losing not only their jobs, but also their professional identities, financial security, relationships, and sense of belonging.”

Dabbs said she hopes the findings will draw greater attention to the experiences of women coaches and encourage sport organizations to reconsider how they handle difficult career transitions.

“I wanted this research to give them a voice, shed light on a serious problem within college coaching, and encourage sport organizations to develop more ethical and humane exit strategies,” she said.

The publication also represents the culmination of a faculty-student research collaboration between Dabbs and Burton, who worked on the project while an Â鶹ĘÓƵ student. Burton played a pivotal role in the study’s qualitative data analysis, working with the 16 interview transcripts and collaborating with the research team to examine, code and organize the coaches’ experiences into the themes ultimately presented in the article.

Dabbs mentored Burton throughout the process, teaching her how to conduct qualitative data analysis and write the methodology section of a scholarly article.

“Her careful engagement with the participants’ stories contributed meaningfully to both the rigor of the analysis and the development of the manuscript,” Dabbs said.

For Dabbs, Burton’s involvement illustrates the value of providing students opportunities to participate directly in research. Such collaborations allow students to apply concepts learned in the classroom while gaining firsthand experience with how scholarly research is conducted and developed.

“They learn to work carefully with evidence, recognize patterns, question their assumptions, and communicate findings responsibly,” she added.

Another benefit? The experience can also reshape how students view their own place within an academic and professional community.

“Students gain confidence from knowing that their work can contribute to meaningful conversations in their field,” Dabbs said. “Mentored research helps them see themselves not only as students, but also as scholars and professionals whose ideas and contributions matter.”

A new chapter in Â鶹ĘÓƵ’s global sport education programming officially began Sept. 7 in Pistoia, Italy.

Five Â鶹ĘÓƵ students arrived in the Tuscan city as the inaugural cohort participating in the university’s partnership with Lumos Pistoia Basket 2000, a professional basketball organization, and the Accademia Europea di Firenze (AEF). Their arrival was marked by a from the club as the students prepare to begin a semester combining study abroad with hands-on experience in the professional sport industry.

As part of their initial visit, the students explored Pistoia’s historic center before making their way to LumoSquare, the 3,835-seat home of Pistoia Basket and a growing community hub. Accompanied by Professor Marco Bracci and Elisabetta Santanni, academic director of AEF/Â鶹ĘÓƵ in Florence, the group toured the facility, met members of the club staff, and received a personal welcome from Pistoia Basket President Joseph Mark David.

The visit offered the students their first look at the organization, where they will soon become part of the day-to-day operations. Beginning in mid-September, they will work alongside Pistoia Basket staff on projects involving sport management, marketing and social media.

“This experience is over a year in the making and couldn’t have come together without the amazing work of our partners at AEF, especially Elisabetta Santanni and Marco Bracci,” said David Bockino, professor of sport management. “As we launch the partnership this semester, we’re already discussing how to make it accessible to more students moving forward. The reception on campus has been great – we have students lining up to participate in the future.”

A global professional experience

Announced last fall, Â鶹ĘÓƵ’s partnership with AEF and Pistoia Basket was developed in collaboration with the Department of Sport Management to expand experiential learning opportunities for students studying in Florence. It combines two hallmarks of an Â鶹ĘÓƵ education – global engagement and professional experience – placing students inside a European professional sport organization while they study abroad.

“This experience was the logical next step as Â鶹ĘÓƵ grows its sport-related experiences,” Bockino said. “As a university, we’re great at study abroad and at helping our students get internships. Why not put those two together? When these students eventually hit the job market, they’ll arrive with a true resume differentiator: an internship with a professional Italian basketball club that allows them to better understand sport from a global perspective.”

As part of a mentored, two-credit internship with Pistoia Basket, students will spend approximately 10 hours each week gaining practical experience in event operations, fan engagement, marketing, communications and social media. Their responsibilities will be tailored to their academic backgrounds and professional interests.

For example, students interested in media analytics may evaluate the club’s social media performance, while students studying sport management or strategic communications will work to increase Pistoia Basket’s visibility among college students studying abroad in Florence. Participants will also meet regularly with accompanying professors and complete applied and reflection-based assignments.

The cohort will also contribute to a video storytelling project designed to introduce Pistoia Basket to new audiences in the United States. Funded by the Â鶹ĘÓƵ Innovation Council and coordinated through Â鶹ĘÓƵ’s Sports Media Lab and Â鶹ĘÓƵ Sports Vision, the project will use footage captured by the students to tell the story of Pistoia’s 2026-27 season. According to Bockino, the resulting videos are expected to appear on Â鶹ĘÓƵ social media channels and during Â鶹ĘÓƵ Athletics broadcasts.

This fall’s inaugural cohort includes Robbie Pataky ’28, a strategic communications major; Amelia Weaver ’28, a sport management and media analytics double major; Riley Greenwald ’28, a sport management major; Olivia Tichnor ’28, a marketing major; and Max Edelstein ’28, a sport management major.

can vividly remember the exhilaration of running onto the field this past weekend with the University of Pittsburgh football team, gimbal in hand, as more than 40,000 fans roared around him.

What happened next is a little hazier.

“I essentially blacked out on adrenaline for the first 10 minutes of game action,” Henneman laughed.

It was Henneman’s first game day working on the sidelines for Pitt football – and a surreal introduction to his new role as the program’s assistant director of creative content.

The Â鶹ĘÓƵ alumnus was there to capture an up-close look at Pitt’s season-opening 59-14 victory over Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 5. Once the final whistle sounded, his responsibilities only grew. Henneman took the lead editing “” Pitt’s long-running video series that tells the story of a victory through behind-the-scenes content.

For Henneman, the assignment represented another milestone in a professional journey that has moved quickly.

His path to Pitt began shortly after his May 2025 graduation from Â鶹ĘÓƵ, where he majored in journalism and built a portfolio that stretched well beyond traditional reporting.

As a student, Henneman worked with Rising Phoenix and Â鶹ĘÓƵ Athletics video production. He also spent nearly two years interning with The Burlington School, chronicling its high-level prep basketball program. Following graduation, he continued sharpening his skills as a videographer with the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Those experiences ultimately led him to Pittsburgh.

In January, Henneman initially joined Pitt Athletics as an assistant director of video production, creating content across the university’s athletics programs. After six months, he accepted a position supporting Pitt football. But Henneman wasn’t quite ready to give up basketball.

He negotiated a hybrid role that allows him to remain the secondary video contact for Pitt men’s basketball.

“I couldn’t get myself to leave my basketball roots behind,” Henneman said.

Being a major content contributor for both programs, he said, is a “dream come true.” It has also brought considerably more responsibility.

While the football staff was away during July, Henneman filmed basketball summer workouts, helped lead the rollout of new NIL initiatives for Pitt Athletics, and traveled to New York City to cover volleyball standout Olivia Babcock at the Collegiate Women Sports Awards.

Then came football season.

When fall camp opened in August, Henneman’s days regularly stretched from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week. He produced short-form content from daily practices and longer-form mic’d-up features while documenting the weeks leading into the season.

“Practically living in the facility gave me an eye-opening perspective of the upper echelon of college athletics.”

– Cap Henneman ’25

Amid that demanding schedule came one of his biggest opportunities.

At the end of fall camp, Henneman spent a week shooting and editing the “” his first true “passion project” since arriving at Pitt. The finished video was shown at the program’s kickoff luncheon and student bonfire pep rally, played on the stadium scoreboard before the season opener, and released on social media.

Creating a longer, storytelling-driven piece reminded Henneman of the projects he pursued at Â鶹ĘÓƵ.

“It was refreshing to create a storytelling-centric piece that I could be proud of,” Henneman said.

That same approach carried into his first football Saturday.

After documenting Pitt’s season-opening victory, Henneman shifted almost immediately from capturing the story to assembling it. For “” he storyboarded the video and constructed its game-action sequences, working alongside colleagues who handled the introduction, graphics, color grading and sound effects.

There was also a tighter turnaround. The popular series, previously released on Wednesdays, was now due Monday.

“Despite the lack of social life and free time that football season brings, I can confidently say I am doing something that I truly love,” Henneman said. “I feel like I have found my footing within the creative team, and look to keep improving as the season moves forward.”

The students have already been immersed in their new city, where they met alumni at the Queen City Connections ice cream social and heard from local alumni about living and working in Charlotte. Several former Study USA Charlotte participants attended, some of whom now work full-time for the organizations where they interned as students in the program.

Students completed a scavenger hunt to familiarize themselves with the Queen City, public transit and major landmarks. They also conducted test runs to their internship sites, many of which are located along the light rail, which provides easy access from South End to Uptown, and into the university area. Since many students are living in an apartment without a meal plan for the first time, they participated in a cooking class to learn meal preparation basics.

Cara Picariello ’28 sees this fall as an opportunity to grow both personally and professionally.

“Living in a city is something that I have never experienced before, so I wanted to take full advantage of the opportunity to step outside my comfort zone and experience a different lifestyle,” said Picariello. “In addition, Charlotte is a rapidly growing sports hub with many career opportunities, and I wanted to build connections and gain experience in the area before graduating.”

Aidan Sweeney ’28 also understands the many benefits of this program. “I wanted to experience living in a big city while also working and furthering my career. I came in knowing very few people, but I’ve already became friends with everyone by exploring the city together or finding a room to chat in with people.”

Five classes are offered this fall: Sport Sales and Promotion, College Athletics Administration, Sports and Media, Event and Venue Management, and an internship course. Students are required to complete 320 hours at their internship.

Students are interning with a variety of organizations including the Big South Conference, NASCAR, Sports Business Journal, Charlotte Knights, Charlotte Checkers, the National Junior College Athletic Association, the Atlantic Coast Conference and more.

Daniel Towery ’28 signed up for the Study USA Charlotte Sport and Community Experience program because “it’s the perfect way to combine classroom learning and real-world experience in the sports industry. I am especially excited to intern with both the Charlotte Knights and the ACC Football Game Day Operations Center to continue to develop my hands-on professional skills. Exploring the city and making memories with my cohort has already made this semester unforgettable.”

Griffin Conway ’28 is excited about the program because it gives him the “opportunity to get an early start on my professional career, while balancing academic courses and living in a city.”

“I’m looking forward to my internship with ACC’s Student-Athlete Programs and getting to learn the ins and outs of how a big organization works,” Conway said. “Over the past week since I started, I have met and networked with so many wonderful people through events that Â鶹ĘÓƵ has provided, and I’m very excited for the rest of the semester!”

Components of a fall Study USA experience include housing, academic courses, internship, enrichment activities and networking opportunities with alumni and industry professionals. Contact Study USA with any questions at global@elon.edu, 336-278-6700 or www.elon.edu/studyusa. Applications for the inaugural spring Study USA Charlotte program are currently open, while applications for fall 2027 are accepted Sept. 1-Dec. 1. Enrollment is limited. Non-Â鶹ĘÓƵ students are invited to apply.

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While many students are away for the summer, July remained a busy month at Â鶹ĘÓƵ. Student researchers shared the results of projects driven by curiosity and purpose, high school students experienced campus through summer programs and the university continued to welcome visitors for camps and community events. Take a look back at some of the month’s highlights through the eyes of the staff in University Communications.

Â鶹ĘÓƵ Engage

The Engage program at Â鶹ĘÓƵ provides an opportunity for incoming students to spend a week on campus before their first semester, learning more about the university and volunteering in the local community. It is one of Â鶹ĘÓƵ’s First-Year Summer Experience (FSE) programs, which gives incoming Â鶹ĘÓƵ students a preview of the university during the summer before their first semester

Adventures in Leadership

Another FSE program, Adventures in Leadership, allows incoming first-year students to explore the outdoors across North Carolina.

A combined College Coffee

Â鶹ĘÓƵ faculty and staff visited Queens University for a day of collaborative learning, professional development and Queens’ first-ever College Coffee event fostering connection and community between both institutions.

Research together

More than 50 Â鶹ĘÓƵ and Queens University of Charlotte students came together for the annual Summer Undergraduate Research Experience presentations on July 23 in Schar Hall.

The largest Odyssey

Â鶹ĘÓƵ’s Odyssey Program welcomed its largest cohort in history during Odyssey Week, a collection of events that introduces the students to the scholarship program and college life.

Phoenix Summer

Â鶹ĘÓƵ hosted its inaugural Phoenix Summer residential camp this month for rising high school juniors and seniors interested in preparing for the transition to college.

Twenty-six students participated in Phoenix Summer, held July 6-17 on Â鶹ĘÓƵ’s campus, where they immersed themselves in hands-on, college-style academics while fostering curiosity, community and independence.

Off-the-Court

Seven incoming first-year students explored careers in the sport industry this summer through the Off-the-Court First Year Summer Experience, an immersive program designed to help students discover where they fit in the business of sport before declaring a major.

Led by sport management faculty members Cara Lucia and Khirey Walker, participants toured Â鶹ĘÓƵ Athletics facilities, connected with alumni in Charlotte, toured Truist Field, home of the Charlotte Knights, and visited organizations such as the Carolina Core Elite Training Center and the Burlington Sock Puppets, gaining firsthand insight into the many career paths within the sport industry.