Michelle
Martin--Sports Management major gets a taste of web design
Leroy Howard Jr. , Staff Writer
Whoever said patience is a virtue was right, at least in Michelle Martin’s eyes. Martin, who is a senior and will be graduating this May, had to do an internship for her sports management major that involved creating a website to pay tribute to former students who were inducted into Ferrum College’s Sports Hall of Fame.
This internship was supervised by the college's Sports Information Director, Gary Holden, who is also the assistant athletics director. Martin says that Holden helped her a great deal in trying to complete this task because she had never been asked to create a website before.
Martin, who will receive her bachelor's degree in sports management with a minor in business administration, says that this project took a lot of time, effort, and commitment on her part. She says that there were times when she wanted to just put the project to the side because she had so much work to do for other classes. She adds, “I usually spent about 15-20 hours a week working on the web site.” The site features members of the Sports Hall of Fame along with each individual’s accomplishments, along with some academic archives that he or she may have been recognized for.
Martin says that she had intentions to complete this internship earlier in her college career, but it was always offered during the wrong time. However, Steve Burns, assistant professor of physical education and coordinator of the sports management major, told Martin that she would be required to complete the internship in the spring semester of school.
Martin’s ability to stay committed to this task came from her four years in college, during which she played volleyball and basketball, while maintaining good grades as a student as well. Her aspirations after college are to become an athletics director for a high school or even college. She says that in order to become an athletics director, she knows that she has to have some knowledge of other sports that she may not be that familiar with. She has begun learning the game of lacrosse and was selected to be a part of the committee that selects players for the All-Tournament team.
Martin, who has intentions of pursuing her Master's degree in education one day, says that this internship has taught her so much as a student as well as a person. She says, “This internship has given me the opportunity to obtain patience through projects and other responsibilities that I had to endure. Not only have I acquired patience, but it has given me the opportunity to discover what the real world has in store for me.”