2024 InTERPShip Academy

The InTERPship Academy is in its ninth year of programming and welcomes more than 35 student-athletes into the Summer 2024 cohort. The number of students in this cohort tripled from Summer 2023, making it the largest cohort base since the academy’s inception in 2015. 

The InTERPship Academy was piloted to aid student-athletes in obtaining work experience in their desired industries. Students must work between 15-20 hours per week while completing a weekly self-reflection journal and attending four professional development sessions. The development sessions include workshops on branding and storytelling, leadership development, coffee hour (networking), and resume building. The academy then concludes with a final capstone project presentation. 

Samantha Schnitta, a senior Maryland volleyball student-athlete, was placed with Ole Miss Physical Therapy and Luminis Health for her InTERPship experience this summer. She stated her thoughts and feelings on the academy. 

“Being a part of the internship academy allows me to feel prepared for my future,” Schnitta said. “It is really nice to know that we have an amazing team with Maryland Made that wants us to succeed as much as we want to ourselves. I feel both grateful and excited for the experiences that the internship program will provide me.”

The InTERPship Academy spans eight weeks and provides student-athletes with meaningful internship experience to complement their academic and athletic schedules during the summer. InTERPship alums have gained professional experience and redefined their unique skill sets as they figured out what life after college looked like for them. The Maryland Made team is dedicated to ensuring that student-athletes are thinking about their career readiness journey before they depart from the University of Maryland. 

This summer, the InTERPship Academy has representation from 16 varsity sports. The sports include men’s and women’s track and field, men’s and women's golf, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s lacrosse, women’s basketball, cross country, field hockey, football, gymnastics, softball, tennis, volleyball, and wrestling.  

“To have this many sports represented in one single program is simply exceptional,” said Adaeze Alaeze, Maryland’s Program Director of Student-Athlete Career Development. “I wish I had a program like this when I was a student-athlete. I think I would’ve known accounting was a passion of mine, but it wasn’t an industry that matched my personality.”

The InTERPship Academy not only places students in a position to gain relevant work experience to bolster their resumes but also allows them to gain insight into the industry they believe they want to be a part of one day. This opportunity will enable students to evaluate an industry before graduation, which then assists them in learning the skill sets needed to perform at a high level.

Anthony Bradley, a rising redshirt sophomore on the wrestling team, is excited about his internship opportunity with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) this summer.

“It presents a valuable chance for me to acquire practical work experience, delve into a potential career path, broaden my professional network and bolster my resume,” Bradley said. 

Over 30 local, domestic and international agencies are hosting students through the InTERPship Academy this summer. As the academy expands, its connections and student outreach will continue to grow.

“Being an international student sometimes comes with off-campus internship visa restrictions,” said Maria Budin, a graduate student on the tennis team. “The InTERPship Academy took the time to understand my needs and helped me find an internship on campus. This experience is essential in aiding my next steps into the working world after graduation. I am really grateful and excited for this opportunity.”

Budin is interning with Maryland Athletics in their human resources department. 

Maryland Made embraces the motto “Be Who You Are, Do What You Want!” The InTERPship Academy allows Maryland student-athletes to make that a reality.