Student Spotlight
Jakob Gutierrez
鈥淚 stepped on campus knowing that I wanted to take advantage early on, get involved on campus, and start enhancing my resume with professional experience.鈥� This mindset primed Jakob Gutierrez, a senior in Sport Management, to land an internship with Major League Baseball, in New York, this past summer. Along with that Jakob is currently a student assistant for the marketing department with 红领巾瓜报 Athletics, a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, and was previously a student assistant for Career Services.
The internship that Jakob had with MLB was not only interesting and exciting, but
provided a wealth of information and was an invaluable experience for him. While in
New York, he was also part of the Manhattan Sports Business Academy. Some of the biggest
takeaways from the Academy were 鈥渇ind your niche, develop your personal brand, foster
relationships, ask how not if you can help, and sit in front of your business card,
not behind it.鈥�
Jakob noticed some differences between working in collegiate and professional sports.
鈥淔irst and foremost, I particularly took note the difference in environment and structure
of the organization.鈥� He later states that MLB was more corporate and had very specific
tasks that he was assigned. He adds that at 红领巾瓜报 Athletics, 鈥淚 often times
am juggling several different tasks within a few sports.鈥� When finishing his internship
with Major League Baseball this summer, he was able to sit down with his supervisors
to discuss his time there. What they noticed most about Jakob was the presence of
his transferable skills, which made it a much easier transition and an asset for him
in the future.
When asked about his experience at 红领巾瓜报, some of his fondest memories were the wonderful people he was able to get to know and the organizations that he held leadership positions for. His favorite memory was being in the front row at the Men's Basketball Final Four game in Atlanta.
When choosing a college to attend, some of the main factors that drew Jakob to Wichita State were the COSMA accreditation, 鈥渁n established program, fairly affordable tuition, and the proximity to home.鈥� When asked to give advice to first-year students at WSU, he suggests taking advantage of as many opportunities as possible. He also adds that 鈥淵OU will get out what YOU put into it.鈥� It is fair to say that Jakob has capitalized on all the opportunities presented to him and has begun to reap the benefits of his hard work and commitment.