Intern Chronicles: Work Hard, Play Hard

When they're not contributing to ESPN's storytelling in a variety of ways, these Summer 2024 interns find time for surprise birthday parties, perfect pizza quests and more

ESPN 2024 Summer Interns (L-R): Ryan Trapnell; Assata Allah-Shabazz; and Nancy Ediagbonya (Photos courtesy of the interns/ESPN)

EDITOR’S NOTE: Once again this summer, Front Row’s Intern Chronicles series showcases some of ESPN’s summer interns. For more information on ESPN Internships, visit the ESPN Careers site.

Every summer, interns from around the world move to one of ESPN’s in-office locations and are introduced to new opportunities both in and out of the office.

As the 2024 summer program nears its end, these interns are busier than ever. Beyond their core work responsibilities, interns also have the opportunity to engage in various networking events and enjoy activities like baseball games and other sports events. Meet three who are based in ESPN’s Bristol, Connecticut headquarters.

RYAN TRAPNELL, SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT INTERN, UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

ESPN Summer Intern Ryan Trapnell (circled above) celebrates with his colleagues at a Bristol, Conn., area restaurant. (Ryan Trapnell/ESPN)

As a social content intern, Ryan handles daily content tasks like event follow-ups, breaking news coverage, and social media management, working alongside full-time team members. His favorite ESPN memory from this summer was the surprise 21st birthday party – see above – organized by the interns. After a dinner out, he came home to find balloons, a cake, and a heartfelt video from his family in Clarksville, Tennessee, making it an unforgettable and special moment. A senior at Kentucky, Ryan is a media arts and studies major and journalism & business minors.

ASSATA ALLAH-SHABAZZ, RHODEN FELLOW, MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

Assata Allah-Shabazz is a strategic communications major at Morgan State University. (Assata Shabaz/ESPN)

A highlight of Assata’s summer was attending the WNBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix. She’s enjoyed covering social media for Andscape and producing a written piece on the inaugural WNBA Change Makers Day. Outside of work, the Hershey, Pennsylvania native spends her free time exploring New York City with her fellow interns.

NANCY EDIAGBONYA, CREATIVE PLANNING & TECHNOLOGY INTERN, EMORY UNIVERSITY

Ediagbonya is a film and media with a business concentration major at Emory University in Atlanta. (Nancy Ediagbonya/ESPN)

Nancy typically has at least one meeting each day, ranging from weekly check-ins with supervisors for project updates to planning meetings focused on tech tools. She also works on the Digital Asset Management (DAM) system daily, cataloging Creative Studio projects not yet ingested. On the weekends, the Roseville, California, native enjoys taking day trips with interns to New York City and New Haven, Connecticut, to try new foods, particularly the famous New Haven pizza.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Howdy! I’m Nicole Hinojosa, and I’m currently a strategy and integration intern with the Creative Studio department at ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut. I graduated from Texas A&M University with a Telecommunication Media Studies degree and a minor in Philosophy, where I worked as a photographer for the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets and TexAgs. I’m so excited to be at ESPN this summer and can’t wait to see what’s next! Thanks & Gig ’em!