For the past 4 months, 11 students from three local universities, NC Central University, Shaw and St. Augustine’s, have been interning in Capitol Broadcasting divisions through the second year of the Emerging Leaders Program. A partnership between CBC and Leadership Triangle, the program combines hands on learning in departments aligned to their interests along with workshops led by LT coaches. The program will culminate with a graduation ceremony on December 13. In the final weeks leading up to that conclusion, CapCom is profiling several of these outstanding students.
Lauryn Goins is interning with the Durham Bulls in the Special Events department, as well as learning with Human Resources. Goins is a senior at what she describes as the “the ILLUSTRIOUS sloping hills and verdant greens of North Carolina Central University.” She is a Kinesiology major and expects to graduate this spring about which she says, “I am super excited.”
DBBC Director of Special Events Sasha Moore and Corp HR Recruiter/Generalist Na’Tasia Robinson have been serving as key mentors for Goins.
2023 Emerging Leaders Intern Lauryn Goins (left) is learning about Special Events and Human Resources at the Durham Bulls. Corp HR Generalist/Recruiter Na’Tasia Robinson is one of her CBC mentors.
“I applied to the Leadership Triangle Emerging Leaders Program because although I am an aspiring physical therapist, I wanted to stretch myself and do something to improve my transferable skills,” explained Goins. “I want to be an entrepreneur one day (have my own practice) and didn’t have any prior experience in the office/sports business setting until now. In owning my own practice, it’s important to know how to communicate with people as well as plan corporate events and through working with Human Resources and Special Events/Operations, I have definitely been stretched (in a good way). I also saw that we would have a coach and other great benefits that I’ve never witnessed a corporate company internship have to willingly offer and tell you about before you get accepted.”
Goins was a perfect fit to pair with the Bulls as she had worked as a seasonal employee through Headway Workforce Solutions. During the 2022-23 season she had worked as a ticket seller.
“That made her transition a little easier since she had worked with or was familiar with most of the Bulls front office staff,” said Robinson. “It has been a good experience working with Lauryn.”
Moore is also enjoying the experience of mentoring Goins.
“Lauryn is very bubbly and outgoing!” said Moore. “She can chat and connect with absolutely anybody. Lauryn gets thrown into a lot of different projects working for three different departments and she handles all of her responsibilities like a champ!”
WATCH:
Emerging Leaders Intern Lauryn Goins created a fun video for LinkedIn. Check it out!
A Day In the Life
Goins is having fun learning new a variety of new things.
“I loved it when I worked with HR Generalist of Baseball and Real Estate/one of my managers, Na’Tasia Robinson during game days interacting with seasonal employees and giving them little ‘pick-me-ups’ as I like to call them, throughout the season to make sure that they enjoyed it when they came to work,” said Goins. “We threw a pop up celebration during the season and the looks on their faces after we surprised them with Duck Donuts, music, and other goodies, was priceless. It’s a memory I’ll never forget for sure.”
2023 Emerging Leaders Intern Lauryn Goins (center) has fun dancing with seasonal employees with a pop-up appreciation event she helped coordinate and execute.
Moore and Robinson have worked hard to make the internship helpful and meaningful.
“Personally, I have tried to teach her that in order to make an event successful you have to work with and stay in constant communication with multiple departments,” said Moore. “Staying very organized, creating timelines, and working as a team are key skills to have to work events.”
Robinson told CapCom she has striven to teach everything from time management, prioritization of tasks and “allowing herself some grace” to effective communication to nuts and bolts things like filling out expense reports, sending professional emails, how to complete a phone screen with a candidate, and more.
“I’m teaching her how to work with others in a professional setting, confidence and that confidence is gained through experience and pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zones,” said Robinson.
The lessons are hitting home.
“At the Bulls I have learned that details are important to execute an excellent event thanks to my other manager Sasha Moore, Director of Special Events,” she said. “For the majority of the events we host, details are the difference between a mediocre event and a great one-every single piece matters from the amount of tables to the way the linens are positioned.”
2023 Emerging Leaders Intern Lauryn Goins, having fun here with Wool E. Bull, is learning about Special Events and Human Resources at the Durham Bulls.
Thrilled for The Opportunity
Being a part of the Emerging Leaders program is important to Goins.
“When I got the email that I had been accepted I screamed first, thanked God second, and texted my mom, fiancé, and younger brother to tell them I got it,” she told CapCom. “I honestly didn’t think I would get it because of my major and future aspirations but I have definitely appreciated the experience all the more because of that. It’s definitely something I did as a longshot and completely out of my comfort zone so it has stretched me personally, professionally, and as a student trying to balance adulthood, thus far.”
Goins cautions that future candidates should be aware the program is rewarding but not easy.
“I would recommend this program to others,” she said. “It’s just that I would warn them to be prepared to be challenged because everything is not as it seems, and you’re definitely going to grow in ways you didn’t think you could. This program has a way of exposing your weaknesses and turning them into strengths by the time graduation rolls around. Especially my role, working with Human Resources, Special Events, AND Operations is no easy task as they’re very different but they tend to clash at times for different functions and daily tasks around the stadium.”
Robinson believes the set up of the program is part of its success in helping train students for future careers.
“I think the Emerging Leaders Program is important because the students have an opportunity to practice what they learn in their leader development sessions onsite at their current assigned internship,” she said. “So, they are able to practice those skills and lessons and what they learn in real time. They also have an opportunity to apply what they have learned in a classroom setting.”
2023 Emerging Leaders Intern Lauryn Goins is learning about Special Events and Human Resources at the Durham Bulls.
She continued, “They have an opportunity to learn valuable skills and gain experience in professional settings that helps them build their professional tool kit for their career foundation; and they can take that anywhere.”
Moore agreed.
“The Emerging Leaders Program is important because it gives these young adults a glimpse into not only the workforce, but the sports industry,” she said. “The diverse training in this program can benefit these interns in any future endeavors, professional and personal.”
Stay tuned to CapCom for profiles on more of the 2023 CBC Emerging Leaders…
Thanks to DBBC’s Kelly Teseny, DBBC’s Sasha Moore, Corp’s Na’Tasia Robinson and Emerging Leader Lauryn Goins for these CapCom photos.
2023 Emerging Leaders Intern Lauryn Goins, with Ripken The Bat Dog, is learning about Special Events and Human Resources at the Durham Bulls.
2023 Emerging Leaders Intern Lauryn Goins is learning about Special Events and Human Resources at the Durham Bulls.
2023 Emerging Leaders Intern Lauryn Goins (left) has fun dancing at Gameday Staff Appreciation Party.
2023 Emerging Leaders Intern Lauryn Goins (front) has fun dancing at Gameday Staff Appreciation Party.
