An Important Cog in the Machine

This is posted as part of our Summer Intern Blog Series. Be sure to come back each week as interns from around the country share their summer experiences with us!

By: Todd Rogers, @Todd_TTU

As I write this post, I have realized that I have already been here at ACU for more than a month now. This month has absolutely flown by and I have learned so much during my short time here. Before I know it, July will be here and the summer will soon begin to wind down!

During my posts so far, I have mainly showcased the highlights and all of the fun projects I get to work on while I am here at ACU. While every week I am working on various tasks throughout the department that are certainly fun, there are also less glamorous tasks that I must work on every week. However, as an intern, that is something that comes with the territory. Some days may be spent making copies of important documents for the compliance department and most days involve me walking across campus to the business office to makes deposits for the athletic department. Other days, I may be going to get mail or walking through the offices and obtaining asset numbers from all the computers. While many people, especially those my age, may see these tasks as unnecessary or too “boring,” I don’t feel that way at all. While they are certainly not “glamorous,” it gives me the opportunity to see how the athletic department works as a whole. Instead of just seeing how one part of the department works, I am able to get a full grasp of the entire department. As someone who wants to lead an athletic department one day, I know that having experiences in how all aspects of a department works will be important, whether it be the seemingly “meaningless” tasks or important projects that are assigned to me.

I know that I would never be asked to do anything within the department that is ever truly meaningless, therefore, I am always trying to understand the meaning in everything that I am doing. One thing that all of this has taught me is that a collegiate athletic department is like one big machine and if a cog is missing, even the smallest one, it will throw off the whole machine. As an intern, I know that I’m not just going and getting the mail. I may be getting an important bill that needs to be paid off or maybe even a game contract that needs to be signed and returned quickly, there is meaning in all that I do. Sometimes it is not glamorous and I have to just put my head down and grind sometimes, but that is part of my learning experience.

While sometimes it can be a grind, it is important to take time off and recharge the batteries. I got an opportunity to recharge my batteries this weekend as I got to spend Father’s Day with my Dad in Omaha, NE at the College World Series! Sadly, we weren’t able to get to see Texas Tech play, but it was still an incredible experience that I would recommend for anyone who has never been. Even if you don’t have a team there you root for, pick a team and cheer them on. You won’t regret it!