InTERPShip Academy Highlight: Sydney Lewis

Maryland softball’s Sydney Lewis is one of more than 40 student-athletes to land an internship over the summer in conjunction with Maryland Made’s InTERPship Academy. 

Lewis, a rising junior studying communication, is interning with the Baltimore Orioles in their marketing and communication departments. She’s working with the Orioles for eight weeks, during which time she’s browsing through and shadowing various teams and learning about their operations. 

This is Lewis’ first time engaging with a Maryland Made initiative, and she says her experience with the group has allowed her to grow as a person.   

“I'm just very lucky to be a part of Maryland Made,” Lewis said. “It has been a lot of fun. I've made a lot of new friends as well. I'm not a very social person with people outside of my sport, so it's been nice to build those social skills, and I wouldn't have been able to do it without Maryland Made.”

Lewis’s internship experiences thus far have also been about growth. She changed her major over the winter break of the 2023-24 school year. However, she says her internship with the Orioles solidified her desire to work in sports one day, specifically in journalism, media or communication.  

“I think communication is so cool,” Lewis said. “I love that there are so many different aspects that go into communications. I communicate differently than so many people, and those people communicate differently than other people. We're all communicating and receiving communication in so many different ways. I love learning about it and applying it to my career.”

In her current role with the Orioles, Lewis works in various roles within the marketing and communication departments. When the team is away, she prepares for the upcoming week by editing press releases, filling out credentials, organizing press box seating and gathering and organizing giveaway materials. 

Lewis works games from the press box when the Orioles play at Camden Yards. She hands out stats and delivers game notes for both teams to clubhouses, managers and coaches. She also writes notes for post-game recaps, utilizing baseball statistic programs such as Baseball-Reference and Stathead.  

“It has really shown me a lot of different things,” Lewis said. “It’s been so cool seeing all the things that go into broadcasting, writing, journalism and marketing.”

The InTERPship Academy is in its ninth year of programming and has welcomed more than 40  student-athletes into its summer 2024 cohort. The number of students in this year’s cohort tripled from last year, making it the most extensive cohort base since the academy’s inception in 2015.

Maryland Made created the academy to aid student-athletes in obtaining work experience in their desired industries. Students are required to work between 15-20 hours weekly while completing a self-reflection journal and attending four professional development sessions. The development sessions include workshops on branding and storytelling, leadership development, networking and resume building. The academy then concludes with a final capstone project presentation.

“Sydney is a great example for student-athletes to believe in themselves both athletically and professionally,” said Adaeze Alaeze, Maryland’s Program Director of Student-Athlete Career Development. “Sydney is taking advantage of multiple Maryland Made initiatives, and I believe that this will aid in her overall development in life after athletics. We are so proud of Sydney and all she continues to exemplify as a student-athlete!”

Lewis has found the weekly reflection journal component of the InTERPship Academy eye-opening. One of the prompts required participants to say something nice about themselves and what they feel they’re good at. Lewis wrote down communication.

“I love any opportunity we have to be nice to ourselves,” Lewis said. “Even though I say that, I don’t do it as often as I should. Getting those opportunities is super impactful, and I hope others utilize it.”

Lewis says the highlight of her internship is watching games while working. The best in-game moment so far was watching Heston Kjerstad hit his first career grand slam, which propelled the Orioles to a 6-5 win over the Texas Rangers on June 29. 

Maryland Made’s InTERPship Academy continues to grow to provide valuable internship experience for student-athletes like Lewis. The softball player on the field and communication major in the classroom expressed her gratitude for the opportunity Maryland Made provided her.  

“They're just the best,” Lewis said, referring to the people behind Maryland Made. “They're just like us, they care about us and make us laugh. Academics are part of it, and a career is part of it, but at the end of the day, they’re people we can go to for anything. I would never have thought I could get an opportunity like this without them. I'm so grateful, and I couldn't recommend a group of people to confide in any more than I can recommend Maryland Made.”