Junior entrepreneurship major Sydney Wood is on her way to achieving her dream of working in sports in New York City after completing an internship with Nashville Soccer Club last spring and interning for the Nashville Predators this fall.
Wood made her debut in the world of sports as a spring 2023 corporate partnership intern for Nashville SC – a step that enabled her to secure her dream Nashville internship for the Preds in its marketing department.
“I actually applied to the internship for the Preds three times before I got it,” Wood said. “They originally told me that I needed sports experience. There was definitely a learning curve for me at Nashville SC because it was my first real internship and I had to learn a lot of language. It was such a fun job that I’d recommend to anybody.”
Although she wasn’t initially hired as an intern for the Preds, Wood made good connections and kept up with her contacts.
“By the third time I applied, they knew who I was – the interview wasn’t even necessary,” she said. “My bosses are awesome. Most of them were interns prior to working full time. It's nice to have that kind of support from someone who was also an intern.”
Her tasks as a Preds marketing intern vary from day to day. Some days she hits the pavement downtown, distributing promotional merchandise to the business on and around Broadway. On other days she makes community event calendars or helps set up game day parties and watch parties. Her internship will culminate in a project where she will get creative liberty for her final presentation.
“I think hockey is such a fun sport and I love the crowd around the Preds,” Wood said. “They have such a loyal fan base and I wanted to be a part of that and see how I could help engage the fans.”
A key emphasis in the Massey College of Business is networking, and it has helped Wood navigate Nashville’s sports market and stay motivated.
From connecting with professors to being encouraged by her peers on campus, the Belmont transfer has found a strong sense of community in the classroom. A classmate got her connected with a staff member at Nashville SC and fellow entrepreneurship students like Stephen Richey, founder of Makes Cents LLC, offer encouraging reminders that have helped her along the way.
“Link and build– I have a friend who always says it,” Wood explained. “Stephen always encourages me whenever I say I don’t want to socialize. He reminds me to link and build. The more people you know, the closer you are to wherever you want to be.”
Wood plans to study in complete her final semester in New York through the Belmont East program “so I can just move to New York after. Hopefully, I’ll do an internship there as well and be ready for a job once I graduate.”
While Belmont’s entrepreneurship program has given Wood the tools and opportunities to achieve her goal, her perseverance and dedication have carried her through to the finish line of landing her dream internship in Nashville with the Predators. Next stop, NYC.