An Olympic Return

06/28/2013 11:37 AM

Peoria Journal Star covers the 2014 Winter Olympic interns with praise to the Communication Alumni 

By Frank Radosevich II

Sixteen Bradley students will intern this February with NBC for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.

NBC interviewed 36 applicants in March before selecting the final fifteen, who were in competition with students from Syracuse University and Ithaca College. During the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, 10 Bradley students interned with the broadcast giant for the first time.

“We are pleased that the excellence of Bradley students continues to be recognized by NBC as demonstrated by their selection of our exceptional students as part of their 2014 Olympic intern team,” said University President Joanne Glasser. “Experiential learning is integral to a Bradley education and enhances and enriches classroom learning.”

Dr. Paul Gullifor, chair of the Department of Communication and the Henry Means Pindell Endowed Chair in Communication, said not only did NBC hire more Bradley students for the Winter Games but the broadcaster selected fewer interns overall for its production team.

“I am thrilled 15 were selected,” he said. “Not only did our number of interns increase, our total share did, as well.”

Students underwent rigorous preparation before meeting with NBC officials, including mock interviews with alumni, advice on resume writing and feedback from Slane College’s faculty.

“It was a pleasure to be a part of this collaborative effort at Bradley,” Dr. Gullifor said. “Everyone jumped in to help these students prepare their applications.”

Five students will travel to Sochi, a Black Sea resort city in the southwest corner of Russia, to work at the games. They are seniors Jake Hermann, Lee Pikelny, Jonathan Teich, Frank Van Almsick and junior Brianna Karls.

The remaining 10 students will work behind-the-scenes production jobs at the NBC Sports studios in Stamford, Conn. They are seniors Miles Himmel, Tim Lahey, Jesse Marczewski, Christopher Morgan, Laura O’Radnik and juniors Tyler Dalsin, Dominique Moore, Kelly O’Brien, Spence Siegel and Tim van Straten.

Interns will fulfill a variety of duties for NBC, ranging from front-line tasks in Sochi to behind-the-scenes production jobs in Stamford.

O’Radnik, a television arts and marketing major from Orland Park, Ill., is looking forward to her highly selective internship this winter. She said all the guidance and preparation from Bradley had her feeling prepared as she interviewed with NBC. Eyeing a career in broadcast television, she said working at the 2014 Olympics would suit her perfectly.

“I was pretty much in shock when I heard,” she said. “I’m very grateful for this opportunity and I haven’t heard of other schools offering similar chances.”

As one of the students heading to Sochi, Pikelny said he and his fellow interns are ready for the challenge of working overseas.

“The Olympics are the pinnacle of sports and I’m looking forward to doing the best I can for NBC,” he said. “There’s nothing else I’d rather do.”