To conclude our fall internship program, we asked Emily Wilbur, a Kinesiology and Exercise Science major at IUPUI, to write about one particular topic or discovery she made while working at Nine13sports:
In the spring last year, I took a philanthropy class which covered a lot of non-profit organizations and how they work. Most of the organizations were very boring and seemed like they just sat around in an office every day. Most internships you hear about are ones where people hate their jobs because they are forced to get coffee or do grunt work that nobody else wants to do. Here at Nine13sports, that is not the case at all. You’ll see Tom helping with the set up or holding a child’s foot on the pedal, or even getting his hands nice and dirty trying to pop chains back on track.
At Nine13, you don’t get that office vibe. You’re welcomed with open arms here. You aren’t looked upon like the ‘intern’, you are actually part of the team. You get to travel to the different schools and work with the children. These past few months have been very eye-opening to the world of non-profits and how hard they have to work to earn a grant or get funding for such great causes.
Emily relished the opportunity to intern with us over the past few months and will hold many fond memories at Nine13sports.
I think my favorite part about this entire organization is the love that Tom Hanley, Ashley Acuff, and Chris Harris have for their jobs. They are truly inspiring to watch because they work so hard to make this program better and better with each passing year. Tom’s first year, Nine13sports was only in eight schools. In 2016, they are projected to be in about one hundred and twenty different schools. But, they aren’t satisfied there. Ashley is constantly working to find new schools to set up in while Tom works hard to get funding to purchase new equipment.
As my time here winds down, I look forward to seeing Nine13sports continue to grow and develop. During the daily spiel at each school, Tom or Chris tell each student how important it is to finish the course and try their best, no matter the place they finish.
I will be the first person in my family to graduate from college, so I definitely know the pressure of finishing and trying your best. Being a full time college student, working a part time job, and having this internship really set those life lessons into perspective for me. There are many days where I would love to quit school because it’s too hard or I feel like my best isn’t enough. Those are the days when I look back and think about the importance of finishing what you start. Sometimes it might take you longer than you expected, but in the end, it’ll be worth it. I can promise you that.
Nine13sports has been an incredible experience and I am truly grateful I’ve had the opportunity to work with them.