Q & A with the Interns (Part 1): Dylan Rizol

As part of our blog this week, we’re going to display content showcasing the backgrounds, passions, and aspirations of all three of the students interning with us this summer. The content, which contains a Q & A with each one of them, is an excellent way for our readers to get to know them a little bit more. Up first, from Indiana University, we have Dylan Rizol:

Personal

1. Where were you born?

• I was born in Los Gatos, California.

2. Who had the greatest influence on you during your childhood?

• I think that my dad had the most influence on me in my childhood because without him I may not have the passions that I do today about sports or cars or all the other things that he opened me up to.

3. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

• When I was young I wanted to be a lot of different things, but I can really only remember one thing that I always wanted to be and that was a car designer. As I got a little bit older it evolved into other things in the automotive and racing world but being a car designer was the job that I remember wanting to be the most.

4. Where did you attend high school? Did you play sports or participate in any extracurricular activities? If so, what did you do?

• I attended high school at Los Gatos High School. I played both water polo and I swam. I played water polo for three years, freshman-junior year, and played varsity one of those years and won the coaches award in junior varsity. I swam for four years, freshman-senior year, and swam varsity two of those years. In swimming, I swam the 200 and 500 yard freestyle along with some freestyle relay events.

5. Where are you attending college? What are you majoring in (Associates, Bachelor’s, etc.)? Are you a part of any groups or clubs at all?

• I am attending college at Indiana University and am going into my senior year there. I am majoring in Business Management from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs and am minoring in Sports Marketing and Management. My major and minor are bachelor’s degrees. I am part of a rec soccer team in the spring and am also a part of the Student Athletic Board at IU.

6. What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

• I love playing sports with my friends, biking, driving, watching sports on TV (mostly racing and soccer), playing video games, watching movies and TV shows, and hiking and enjoying outdoor activities.

7. What might someone be surprised to know about you?

• People are usually pretty surprised to find out that I’m from California but I think something else that would surprise people is that I’ve been on the Dean’s List for three semesters in row.

8. Who is your role model in life and why?

• I don’t think that I have one role model because I don’t think that one person has shaped my life in any particular way. The people who have influenced me the most are definitely my mom and dad and I am the way I am today in a large part because of them. But I also think that other people such as teachers and coaches and even some bosses have also helped me to grow and learn more than any one person could.

9. If you could have dinner with five famous people from history, who would they be?

• I would want to have dinner with Louis Chevrolet, Enzo Ferrari, Bon Scott, Battista Farina, and Carroll Shelby.

10. What other jobs have you held throughout your life?

• I’ve worked with the Indiana University Libraries since I began going to school as a freshman. I have also worked at a company called Positive Coaching Alliance for a summer last year where I was a marketing intern.

11. What is your future plans after you graduate from college?

• I would like to experience life in a city, preferably on one of the coasts or even overseas in Europe, but anywhere would be interesting. My dream is to work in the auto racing industry with Corvette Racing but I would also love to work with Chevrolet, or another automotive company. But I think that I would want to work for a company that makes me want to get up every morning and come into work.

Nine13sports

1. What interested you to intern at Nine13sports?

• I think that the combination of exercising on a bike and getting kids who might not have the opportunity to ride was the main thing that got me interested. I also really enjoyed my experience last summer with the Positive Coaching Alliance, which was also a non-profit, and felt that I would probably enjoy another experience with one.

2. What has surprised you most about working with Nine13sports?
   

   Dylan has given many high-fives during his time this summer at Nine13sports.

• I think that the most surprising thing has been the diversity of what we do and who we’ve met. I love going to different places and experiencing new challenges with Nine13 because it is always cool to do new stuff. I’ve also met people from the auto racing industry that I could’ve only dreamed about which has been an amazing experience for me.

3. What do you enjoy most about being an intern at Nine13sports?

• Like I said in the other question I think that I enjoy the new challenges and experiences that I get to face every day.

4. What do you enjoy the most about working with kids?

• I think the fact that they always keep you on your toes with new questions and all the funny things that they say is the best part of working with them.

5. What’s been your favorite moment/experience/event while interning with Nine13sports?

• I think that working the IPS field day where we got to meet a bunch of Indy Car drivers was probably my favorite moment and experience, but my favorite event was probably when we worked at the Indy Crit just because of all the cool things we got to see and do.

6. Tell me about some of the people you’ve met while working with Nine13sports.

• I’ve meet a lot of really cool people while working at Nine13 especially my bosses Tom Hanley, Ashley Acuff, and Chris Harris. All of them have been really nice but have also pushed me to try and be my best and make important connections that could help me further in my life. The two other interns that I work with, Ashley Nolley and Myles Chandler, have both been really good co-workers and they’ve also helped teach me a few things along the way.

7. What on the job skills/abilities have you acquired or improved upon while interning with Nine13sports?

• I think what I’ve learned most is how to adapt to situations quickly and effectively, there have been a few times when some of our equipment has stopped working suddenly and we’ve had to adapt on site which has always been fun. I also think I’ve learned a few things about how to manage in certain situations by just watching my bosses and by helping out.