Ryan Lefebvre and the Value of Internships

I have to admit, I got very geeked out about the idea of interviewing Ryan Lefebvre of the Kansas City Royals.  I am not a guy who gets star struck.  I've met my fair share of celebrities (it's not like I am a Hollywood reporter or on the desk at ESPN, but I've met a few).  I just view them as another normal guy who, like me, has to pay taxes, wash the car and use the bathroom.

But, as a diehard Royals fan, Ryan Lefebvre is my connection to my team.  And when I first met him, I was amazed at how kind and humble he was.  I had been told he was a great guy, but let me tell you, he is a GREAT guy.  And then, when our interview had to be cut short because he was volunteering at his kids' school (again, just a normal guy thing to do), he offered to come to campus to visit with our students and finish our interview.  THAT was impressive.

As program coordinator for our digital media production program at the University of Central Missouri, one of my duties is to oversee our internship program.  I pitch these about as hard as a Kelvin Herrera fastball.  So, when Ryan laid out the value of getting in the door, doing as many internships as possible, and making that great impression, I had to smile with a great deal of satisfaction.  Here is what he had to say:

Royals broadcaster Ryan Lefebvre on the value of 

internships (photo from Google Images)

GET SOME EXPERIENCE!!!!

Wow, it's been a crazy three weeks since spring break.  Interviewing candidates, enrolling students, working on final projects with my classes, attending a conference in Las Vegas (no, I did NOT lose my shirt), shuffling game broadcast schedules because of the weather ...

Now I'm back.  And I have three words for all you students:  GET SOME EXPERIENCE!!! Yes, I know you have heard this soap box before.  But every pro I heard from or talked to at the Broadcast Educators Association conference in LV said the same thing:  I don't want a student who did great in the classroom but didn't do anything outside of class.  I want students who have gotten their hands on the equipment and practiced.  We had a highly energetic (albeit, um, colorful speaking, shall we say) alum visit my sports broadcasting class yesterday and he advised students to get as much practice as they can because they aren't competing against their classmates; they are competing against students at OTHER universities who are doing the same things.

Two former students who took sports broadcasting are now employed, one with the Missouri Mavericks (she started as an intern and now it looks like she might get a full-time job), the other with KOMU-TV in Columbia (he also worked with KMOS on campus).  Three of our students landed internships with the Springfield Cardinals this summer, another got an internship with Fox4 in Kansas City (another student who has worked with KMOS also landed one of these internships.  A fifth is doing a postgraduate internship with the Sedalia Democrat; he also is sports editor of the school paper and has provided ready analysis for local high school sporting events.  He is a truly converged journalist.

Why did they land these primo opportunities? Because they didn't settle for going to class, writing papers and taking tests.  They took advantage of the opportunities afforded them while on campus.  They honed their sklls, they put what they learned in the classroom into practice in the field.

It's like I always say, if you don't have time to get experience right now, wait until you graduate:  You'll have all kinds of time because you won't have a job!