Savannah Thomas, a sport management major at Shorter University, has landed a prestigious internship with the award-winning Intern Group that will take her some 9,600 miles away from home.

Thomas was one of 20,000 applicants for the Intern Group’s 2,000 international internships. She was accepted for an internship in Melbourne, Australia, which will begin in October. She will interview again with the Intern Group in the coming weeks to determine her official placement in the program.

“So far, we have narrowed it down to an event management or marketing position,” said the junior from Southside, Ala., who is also an outfielder on Shorter’s Lady Hawks softball team. “When I found out I was accepted, I couldn’t believe it. I cried a few tears of joy.”

Thomas’ joy is well-deserved, as her internship is the first international internship to be awarded to a Sport Management student at Shorter, according to Dr. Heath Hooper, Dean of Shorter’s Robert H. Ledbetter College of Business.

“With the College of Business, and specifically the Sport Management degree, we require a 12 credit-hour internship, which is a very extensive internship opportunity,” said Dr. Hooper. “We’ve had several interns do really great internships with the Atlanta Falcons, the Lake Point Sports Complex, the LSU athletic department, the Chattanooga Lookouts, and several here in Rome with the Rome Braves organization, but we’ve never had one on a worldwide scale. For Savannah to get to Australia and do this, not only does it speak highly for her but it speaks highly for the College of Business, for Shorter University, and for our Sport Management Department.”

Thomas said she knew she needed an internship to fill her hours to graduate and was researching several options when she found the Intern Group and the international experiences they offered.

“At first, I wasn’t sure how serious I was about it, but after I talked with my parents and saw how supportive they were, I decided that was what I wanted to do,” she said. “Australia is culturally diverse and the opportunity will allow me to be around people from different backgrounds and learn from them.”

She is excited about the travel opportunity and, most of all, about meeting the other students with whom she will be interning. “They will be from different countries, and working with them will really help to advance my professional career and broaden my experience.”

Thomas said her studies at Shorter University helped give her “an edge in the interview process.” She benefited from the business aspects of Shorter’s Sport Management degree, which includes training in key business areas including accounting and marketing. The preparation helped her feel prepared and that she had much to offer.

Thomas added that she is uncertain about what life beyond graduation will hold, but that she is intrigued by the business aspect of sports and is excited to learn more about possible careers through her internship experience.

“I’m hoping to get a feel for what I’m really interested in and what I can really excel in,” she said.

Written by Public Relations Student Intern Meredith Howard
Public Relations Student Writer Caleb Britt contributed to this story

Founded in 1873, Shorter University is a Christian university committed to excellence in education. The Princeton Review annually includes Shorter on its list of best Southeastern Colleges. The university offers traditional bachelor’s degree program in 40 areas of study, online courses and degree programs, undergraduate programs for working adults, and four master’s programs. Learn more about Shorter at www.shorter.edu.

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