Sage Peterson

Responsibilities

During my internship, I supported a mental performance and wellness organization through communication, outreach, and program development tasks. I helped update the website and refine a sport-specific questionnaire focused on mental and physical performance factors. I also assisted with outreach by delivering brochures, flyers, and business cards to community partners such as clinics and training facilities to increase awareness of services. In addition, I contributed to marketing materials and social media posts, participated in team meetings, and helped with early planning for a podcast and online portal to improve access to services for athletes and coaches.

Accomplishments

My greatest accomplishment during my internship was contributing to the development and refinement of a sport-specific questionnaire designed to better assess athletes’ mental and physical performance needs. I helped tailor the questionnaire for multiple sports, including baseball, football, and basketball, by connecting sport-specific physical demands with relevant mental skills such as focus, confidence, and decision-making. This work required research, critical thinking, and attention to detail to ensure the questions were both meaningful and applicable. I also supported outreach efforts by delivering promotional materials to community partners, which helped increase awareness of the organization’s services. Overall, I am most proud of my ability to contribute to both internal program development and external outreach in a way that supported the organization’s goals.

Learning experience

The greatest lessons I learned from my internship were how important communication, adaptability, and attention to detail are in a professional setting. I learned that effective health and performance programming requires not only strong ideas but also clear communication and collaboration across a team. I also learned how to be flexible when working on projects that are still developing, such as refining the questionnaire and contributing to early-stage planning for a podcast and online portal. Another key lesson was the importance of thinking critically about how information is collected and used, especially when working with athletes and performance data. Overall, this experience helped me better understand how public health and mental performance work together in real-world settings and improved my confidence in contributing to professional projects.

What advice would you give?

Future students in my major should take advantage of opportunities that allow them to apply classroom knowledge in real-world settings as early as possible. Internships and hands-on experiences are especially valuable in helping connect concepts from kinesiology and public health to practical work in areas like communication, outreach, and program development. I would also recommend being open to learning new skills, even if they are outside your comfort zone, such as marketing, research, or digital content creation, because these are often important in professional settings. It is also helpful to ask questions, stay organized, and be willing to adapt, especially when working on projects that are still developing. Overall, staying engaged, proactive, and open-minded will help students gain the most from their experiences and better prepare for future careers.