Kaitlin Bailey
Sport and Entertainment Management Major
Class of 2008

Have you ever wondered what a terrapin is? You could ask Kaitlin Bailey, a senior Sport and Entertainment Management major. Kaitlin recently began a yearlong internship in the Ticket Office at the University of Maryland, home of the Terrapins.

While searching for a possible internship Kaitlin continuously checked several Web sites. One of these Web sites was for the University of Maryland Athletics Department. When Kaitlin saw the position posted, she wasted no time applying. Kaitlin’s position is a yearlong paid internship in College Park, Maryland, which is close to her hometown.

“This internship allows me to be near my family, get a feel for what a full year is like in college athletics, as well as earn an income. Everything seemed to fit,” says Kaitlin.

Each day is filled with something new for Kaitlin. Her tasks include everything from assisting customers with the purchase and renewal of tickets, to helping with the reseating process for men’s basketball. She is directly involved with women’s soccer, football, men and women’s basketball, women’s lacrosse, and baseball. For each of these sports Kaitlin works the Player Guests, Student, or Will Call gates during the games.

Two of the most valuable skills Kaitlin has learned are how to interact with the customers and using Paciolan software. While she realizes it is impossible to please every customer 100%, she knows it is always important to still apply the best customer service and leave them with a positive impression of the organization. Kaitlin continues to learn new processes in the Paciolan software program and the experience working with the software will help her with jobs in the future. Previous practicum and job experience has also been extremely beneficial for Kaitlin.

“There really is no one part that is harder or easier than the others. I enjoy what I am doing and that makes everything worthwhile,” says Kaitlin.

Choosing a major was an easy choice for Kaitlin. She has always had an interest in sports, both as a participant and a fan. When she discovered the Sport and Entertainment program she knew it was an industry she would enjoy working in as well. Professor Frank Roach, both her advisor and one of her professors, helped prepare her for the internship.

“He always stressed the importance of making contacts, getting real world experience, and to make myself stand out to employers. He applied his real world experience and encouraged thinking outside the box, thus making it easy and fun to thrive in the classroom as well as in the industry,” says Kaitlin.

Kaitlin’s ultimate career goal is to one day be the Athletic Director at a major university. She encourages all students to take each opportunity they are presented with to learn something new and not to hesitate to ask questions.

“Remember that you will be told “no” way more than you will ever be told “yes”, so do not get discouraged. Keep an open mind and move on to the next opportunity,” says Kaitlin.