Whether in school or work, life can be scary—until you Just Do It. Annie Riegert, 2024 Nike Intern

My name is Annie Riegert. I’m a senior gymnast at the University of Kentucky, with a Marketing major and a minor in International Business and Business Analytics. I grew up just outside Cincinnati, Ohio, with dreams of being a collegiate gymnast that would one day be fulfilled. My love for sports inspired my pursuit of a post-collegiate professional career. I spent this summer interning with Nike, Inc. in New York City. In this transformative experience, I was allowed to grow in business, gain social awareness, understand the importance of networking, and was able to immerse myself in multiple cultures.

Growing up in competitive gymnastics has made me crave a career emphasizing some of the skills and attention to detail that this intense sport instilled in me. Naturally, the high-impact training created many injuries and made my high school recruiting process a bit of a roller coaster. As a result, I learned to highlight my personality in addition to my talent. This lesson was held in my application process for the internship: if you want to market something else, you must first prove you can market yourself.

Each part of the application process is like climbing a ladder. Starting with the spark of inspiration, I was giddy to bring this goal to life.

Step 1: Ask for help crafting my resume and proper letters of recommendation. I initiated meetings with (UK Assistant AD for Student Athlete Development & Professional Advancement) Amanda Brown and mentors who generously dropped their tips on how to construct the verbiage in my documents.

Step 2: Understanding how to interview. The funny thing about growing up in this day and age is that not all interviews have an interviewer: you read the question and video your response. I mentally prepared for each question much like I do before performing a beam routine by taking deep breaths to steadying my thoughts.

Step 3: Unleashing my potential. The last rounds of interviews were with Nike employees whom I was eager to share my full personality. We talked as though we’d known each other forever even though we just met.

Getting Started

Being the “new kid” can be intimidating, especially in a group of highly qualified professionals working for one of the biggest companies worldwide. Learning both the written and unwritten rules in an office requires intentional observation and communication. I asked my mentors for advice on how to go about sharing my thoughts in meetings. One act of courage at a time, I learned to trust that my voice holds valuable perspective. These bits of courage made my confidence grow, which became especially prominent in my first-ever “business trip.”

Flying from New York, New York, to Beaverton, Oregon, was an unnerving thought at first. We participated in an "Intern Combine," being placed in a group of five other interns to create a full slide-deck pitch within two days of work. We then presented on a stage with the whole bit: a microphone, lights, stakeholders, a crowd, etc. As I reflect, I’ve noticed a connection between my behavior on that trip, and the similarities in traveling for college athletics. I bonded with my fellow “teammates”, held to my daily values, explored the city, and was fired up to perform at my ‘A’ game when it was showtime.

MVP Attitude

As a North American Brand Marketing Intern, my team and I created 365 experiences to drive consumer traffic and awareness. My designated summer project focused on the running sector.

To fully understand the consumer, I had to do some ground-game exploration. I wanted to immerse myself in New York City's running culture and explored Run Clubs each week. Participating in runs that ranged in locations from the George Washington Bridge to Dumbo, I got to know New York City like the back of my hand. Each Run Club provided a different vibe, and I asked the other participants various questions. I’d hang around the pacesetters for the first half of the run and gently float my way to the back to make sure I was getting a complete understanding. My analytical side became obsessed with assessing how each variable came into play upon evaluating each run; something I was proud to deliver in my final report.

Any unstructured time I had in the office meant I had an opportunity to learn as much as I could about the business. Choosing to take “courses” through the company website discussing topics that I’ve been inclined toward, but had yet to touch on, energized me with a hope that my growth will have no end. I asked my manager to point me toward people I could network with, who then guided me with additional recommendations of people. Before each meeting, I took the initiative by asking myself, “What do I hope to gain from this meeting?”. From there I’d write questions to make sure it happened. After sitting in on meetings I’d write down the tactics observed from the interaction and uncover how each decision aligns with the organization’s mission.

Social Benefits

I lived in a hotel with three floors designated for dorm-style living with fellow interns. Students from Universities throughout the country working for all kinds of organizations created quite the dynamic as we all bonded over the same thing: none of us really knew what we were doing. Every week, there were planned events to meet the community and explore the Big Apple. I quickly found my go-to people with whom I'd attend red-carpet movie premieres, free concerts, and dozens of pop-up events. New York City became our playground!

Before this summer I viewed running as nothing more than a chore. I chose to adopt the mindset that to understand the consumer I was assessing, I had to be that consumer. After experiencing my first runner's high, I had unlocked a joy for a sport other than the one I've been training for my whole life.

Photo Finish

There's something so satisfying about navigating ambiguity regardless of whether we think we're "ready" at the start. Truth is, there are very few times we will truly feel confident in ourselves while trying something new. That's the point! Confidence is a muscle we must train amidst the pain. It only takes one act of courage to get started.