At the end of the winter semester in 2024, I decided I wanted to make the most of my last year at Bishop’s. So, I started looking for an internship with one of the Gaiters teams doing social media. With some help, I landed an internship with the Bishop’s Gaiters Men’s Rugby team for the fall even though I knew absolutely nothing about rugby. Little did I know just how much of an impact that internship would have on me.
Falling Back in Love with Sports Communications
When I came to Bishop’s to pursue a degree in Sports Studies, my main goal was to work as a social media manager for a professional team. But as the months went by, I started falling out of love with that path. I had the chance to run social media for one of the clubs on campus, and I honestly hated it.
At the beginning of my internship with the Gaiters Men’s Rugby team, I felt the same way. There was a lot of pressure, so much to handle on my own, and it was tough. But over time, something shifted. I started enjoying it again. Every practice, every game, every event I was happy to be there, doing my best work and actually feeling proud of it.
It reminded me why I chose this path in the first place: the joy of it, and the sense of freedom it gave me. I got to show the team’s day-to-day in my own creative way. I wasn’t just posting I was capturing everything. Through that, I found a new passion: photography.
And while falling back in love with the communication side of sport was a huge win, I didn’t expect this work to help me as much as it did even in bad days.
A Peaceful Place
Being in your last year isn’t easy. Every time someone asks, “What’s next?” it’s hard to answer because I honestly don’t know. Adulting is hard, and being away from home makes it even harder.
But somehow, even when when I was sad or anxious I still showed up to practices, games, and scrimmages. In the middle of all the chaos that comes with the game rugby, I found a calm spot. Just me, on the sidelines, doing something I love brought me joy.
Even if it meant standing alone in the corner of the field, barely speaking, focused on getting the best shot that’s where I felt happy.
Coming from a different country, speaking English all the time can get exhausting. But in those moments, behind the camera, I didn’t need to say much. I just needed to be there. Doing my best. And even if it wasn’t my best work, I knew the team appreciated having someone who cared enough to show up.
Becoming Part of a Team
Being part of a team is so much more than just having your name on a roster or wearing matching uniforms. Growing up, I didn’t play many sports and the ones I did were individual so I never really knew what it meant to be in a team.
At first, it was hard to feel like I fit in. I was the only girl most days, and the guys had already built strong connections. Some had been playing together for years. I had missed pre-season, where rookies usually get introduced to the group. One day, I just showed up with my phone and had to find my own way in.
But slowly, things changed. I always joke that if you scroll back to the first Instagram stories I posted, you’ll see I was filming from way far away. And as we all got more comfortable, the shots got closer and better.
The more I got to know the team, the more I wanted to do better work not just for me, but because they deserved a good Instagram account. And honestly, I could tell how much they like it.
We went from not even knowing each other’s names, to calling each other by nicknames, to them giving me rides to practice just so I could be there too. They started asking for specific content and even asked if I’d be coming back to work with them next year, and it always made me a little sad to have to say “No.”
Grateful for Every Moment
When people ask me what I want to do next, the truth is, it’s this. If I could, I’d keep doing exactly this. But sadly, that’s not really an option because my time at Bishop’s University has come to an end. Even though my time with the team was short, it made me so genuinely happy that when I had the chance to write about anything for this blog, I didn’t even have to think twice this is what I felt drawn to write about. I started writing, and before I knew it, I couldn’t stop.When I started the internship I thought it would be just something to add to my resume but those few months were the best of my university years.
