Youth baseball internship experience is a home run for WMU marketing student
DETROIT—Growing up, Ja’Nya Dials bonded with her dad over sports.
“I’m the only girl in my family, and we would always watch football together,” she says. “But really, I just love any sport.”
An internship with youth organization At Bat gave the Western Michigan University marketing student a chance to share that love with kids in her hometown.
Through the Broncos Lead Internship Program, which offers paid internships with small businesses and nonprofits, Dials spent the summer helping to promote and support after-school baseball programs for at-risk youth across the city of Detroit.
“Sports are expensive, and being part of an organization that gives kids in my hometown a chance to play a sport like baseball, which they might not have been able to otherwise, makes me feel really good,” she says.
Stepping up to the plate
As a youth programming intern at At Bat, Dials slid headfirst into opportunities to get kids engaged with the community and excited about learning over the summer.
“When you come to At Bat, you’re not only going to learn baseball,” she says. “You’re also going to learn some academics and have mentors who are in college to show you what it’s like and that it’s a possibility for you. That work really aligns with who I am as a person, not just my career.”
An aspiring sports marketer, Dials understands the importance of networking. Through At Bat, she was able to attend the Youth Development Resource Center Spring Summit in Detroit.
“I was able to connect with inspiring leaders and learn more about the impact being made throughout the community,” she says.
Dials was also empowered to contribute to the nonprofit’s marketing initiatives.
“Since it’s a small organization, we do a little bit of everything, but I saw how I could help make the organization more visible using what I’ve learned in class about marketing and social media,” she says. “I really like to help build things, and seeing the engagement my posts have created and how it can grow At Bat really feels great.”
By developing creative content ideas, Dials found a way to spread the word about the organization and generate some new involvement.
“My main goal was getting more kids to sign up and increasing numbers, because it’s a free program, and we wanted as many kids as possible to be able to participate,” she says. “Seeing a direct connection between my posts and people signing up was really cool because I could see the impact of my work.”
She finished the internship grateful for résumé-boosting experience that also allowed her to meaningfully impact her community.
“I love seeing how the kids have grown through the program—within sports and in the classroom,” says Dials. “I’ve just been soaking it all up. I feel like I’ve grown a lot, too.”
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