Saint Michael’s student experience spotlight: Izzy Quam ’25

At Saint Michael’s College, many students participate in some sort of professional or extracurricular experience outside the classroom that will help them be successful in their future careers. We are highlighting students who had such experiences and asking them to describe, in their own words, what they did and how it impacted their path at Saint Michael’s.

Izzy Quam ’25

Izzy Quam ’25 of Stillwater, Minnesota, is a Digital Media and Communications major who completed an internship with Minnesota Aurora FC, a women’s soccer team in Twin Cities, Minnesota, during summer 2024. As the “Community Storytelling Intern,” Quam researched and collected data through interviews with fans, players, staff, community owners, founders, and others, to find out why people are interested in the team, come to games, and partner with the team.

Quam was interviewed this summer while still completing her internship in Minnesota. Her comments have been lightly edited for grammar.

What does your typical day look like as an intern?

“There are a couple different ways a day could look like. If it is not a game day, I usually go into the office in the morning for a meeting. This could be an all-staff meeting, a one-on-one with my supervisor, a department meeting, or a game day run-through. After the meeting, I usually stay in the office and work with another intern in my department.

A view of the soccer stadium for the Minnesota Aurora FC, with whom Izzy Quam ’25 interned this summer. (Photo courtesy of Izzy Quam)

What we do depends on the day. Sometimes we prep for interviews, organize previous interviews and look for patterns and themes, go through screening notes, etc. If it is a travel day for the team and most of the staff is out of the office, I sometimes participate in the meetings from home. During the second half of the summer, I worked on a project with another intern, documenting the origin story of the team. We spent a lot of time researching how the team started and interviewing the founders of the team. 

Game days look very different. Game days are pretty busy and hectic, so I typically do not go into the office and take the morning meetings from home. Then I head to the stadium a few hours before the game and help with whatever they need help with. Once the fans start arriving, I will help with giveaways (if we have one). When those are done, I start interviewing fans, volunteers, and partners. We have been trying to capitalize on the time we have with fans, so at games, I have been interviewing fans about why they came to the game and how they learned about the team. After the game is over and the fans have left the stadium, I help with the take-down process.”

How did Saint Michael’s help you get where you are?   

“A large part of my internship has involved interviewing people, and St. Mike’s has helped me prepare for that. I was a member of the Defender staff and work at the Marketing and Communications Office, which both require interviewing people for articles. While I have not had to do much writing for my internship, my experience doing interviews at St. Mike’s had prepared me and made me more comfortable interviewing here.”

What is your favorite part about this internship? 

Scenes from an internship with Minnesota Aurora FC completed by Izzy Quam ’25. (Photo courtesy of Izzy Quam)

“I love sports so, so far, my favorite part of my internship is just getting to learn about how a sports team operates. I enjoy sitting in on meetings and learning about how everything comes together. My other favorite part is the people. My boss and the people I work with are very cool, and I have really enjoyed getting to know them! It is also fun to go to the games.”

How is this internship contributing to your career goals and personal aspirations?

“I love sports, specifically women’s sports, and would love to be involved in a sports team in some capacity. I am not sure exactly how I want to be involved or what I want to do, but through my internship, I have had the opportunity to explore different options and the fields within a team I could possibly go into. I have also made connections with people who could help me in the future.”