Student Employee Profile: Katherine Feehan

Student Employee Profile: Katherine Feehan

By Caroline SolomonUniversity Communications
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Katherine Feehan is a recruiting and player personnel intern for Arizona Football.
Katherine Feehan is a recruiting and player personnel intern for Arizona Football.

As if studying, homework and extracurricular activities aren't enough, some students add a campus job to their balancing act.

Many academic departments, offices and services around campus benefit from the work of student employees and in return provide hands-on experience that extends beyond the classroom setting.

In this occasional Lo Que Pasa series, we profile student employees to find out how working for the University contributes to their college experience.

This week, meet Katherine Feehan, a senior studying communication, sports management, and information science and e-society. Feehan, from Orange County, California, is a recruiting and player personnel intern for Arizona Football.

How did you get involved with Arizona Athletics, especially with the football team?

When I was a freshman here, my RA (resident assistant) was in the position that I am now and he knew that I wanted to get involved with Arizona Athletics. So he suggested that I apply after we talked a lot about the position.

What do you do as a recruiting and player personnel intern?

Since I am associate head intern, I have more responsibilities, but my main job is assisting the coaching staff and director of recruiting with official visits, which happen pretty often on weekends. We have a certain database that we use to monitor all the recruits, so we have to continue to update the database for over thousands of recruits' information.

Also, we lead campus tours when the recruits come to visit. During the visit, we are with them during the whole time and make sure they are having a good time while learning about the University of Arizona. Another important thing we do is follow the recruits during their journey through social media so we can see what their interests are.

Also, I work with Joe Gilbert, who is the offensive line coach, so I help him with any tasks that he needs, while at work or when away recruiting. Thus, each intern has his or her own coach that he or she works with. The player personnel part of the job includes more office work and managing budgets for when the players are traveling.

How does your work impact others at the University of Arizona?

Throughout this position, I have made my way up from a normal intern to associate head intern, so I am in charge of all the other 12 student interns here. I am responsible for making sure they know what they need to do and are getting their job done. Also, I impact the football team because I bring in recruits and show them what a great place the University of Arizona is.

What have you learned as a communication, sports management, and information science and e-society student that's helped you in your position?

I learn a lot in my sports management classes because those really go into detail of the sports industry environment and how there is so much that goes on behind the scenes. I actually started taking the sports management classes after I had already been working, so it was interesting to learn even more about the job. The communication classes have helped me improve my communication skills, which is essential for my position because I communicate and meet with a lot of people and need to be able to communicate with them.

What skills have you gained from your position that will help you in your future career?

I have learned to be more organized and responsible because, being in charge of the other interns, I need to be able to be there for each intern if they need help or assistance. Organization is key to planning events with recruits.

How has your work contributed to your college experience?

It has made my college experience a lot more fun and entertaining. I went from being a regular intern working 10 hours a week to an associate head intern working 25 to 35 hours a week, and if we have official visits on weekends, it's even longer. It has been important for me to learn how to manage my time so that I can focus on school as well. It's important for me to remind myself to put school before work.

What are your favorite memories about working as a recruiting and player personnel intern?

I would say that the relationships that I have formed with everyone here (are a favorite memory). Everyone has made an impact on me and I am grateful for the chance to have made an impact and be a part of Arizona Athletics. We have all shared fun memories together, making it a second family for me.

How has this job impacted your career outlook, and what are your plans for after graduation?

This job has been extremely impactful toward my future goals. I think that working here has definitely made me want to be involved with sports after I graduate and I hope that I can do something similar as to what I do here at a different university, even if it is not for football and for another sport. I think that the connections that I have made with the coaches and the staff are important and I know they are here to help me. I am lucky that I have been able to meet all these people.

Caroline Solomon, a UA senior majoring in communication and e-society, is a student employee in the Office of University Communications.

If you know a student employee with an interesting UA job, let us know by sending an email to mittank@arizona.edu.

 

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