Bradley Student Scores a Touchdown with Special Internship

Senior Brihanna Jefferson got the internship of a lifetime along with 49 other students from across the country. Last September, she applied for an internship through Living Sport that would ultimately take her to the biggest sports event of the year—Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas. Living Sport provides participants an “edutainment” work experience at an international sporting event. After going through a round-robin Q&A interview with several other applicants, Jefferson secured her spot and started packing her bags for Las Vegas.

Students spent 10 days with three-time Olympic gold medalist LaShawn Merritt who served as a liaison for the students. Meritt took students to multiple events, including a “Women in Sports” conference and celebrity meetups.

“After the first day, I said to myself, ‘Wow. This is already insane,’” Jefferson recalled. 

Students were introduced to David Metlzer, one of the top sports agents in the world, who offered up advice for those aspiring to have a career in sports. Jefferson appreciated the amount of time Metlzer spent with the group because it's a hard career to break into. “The thing about working in sports is that you can never have a set plan,” she stated. At the end of his lecture, Metlzer gave all the students his personal contact information to help them network with any of his partners once they graduate from college. 

As a business management major, she hopes to find a career organizing events like the Super Bowl. Jefferson has already added to her resume working for the Bradley Athletic Department and spending last summer working with the Peoria City USL2 soccer team.

At the Super Bowl, the students were able to enjoy the big game, sitting near the celebrity suites in Allegiant Stadium. Jefferson saw celebrities like Lil Jon, Quavo, Lebron James and one of her idols, Wayne Gretzky.

Her internship experience was elevated just being around other students “who have the same goals in mind. It was super professional,” she said. 

Jefferson is set to graduate this December and continue her education in law school. She has already been offered a chance to return to the Super Bowl next year in New Orleans to serve on the host committee.

—Adalia Yeung

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