In spring 2020, Female Fan Nation, an organization focused on bringing together women sports fans, was facing a rebranding effort and the challenge of turning a highly personal model of business into something that could be done remotely in the COVID-19 pandemic. Female Fan Nation (FFN) Founder and CEO Laurie Miller Voke reached out to Brenda Campbell, Director of Employer Relations at Endicott, to recruit students for internship positions to help with the workload.
A year later, FFN had hosted 17 Endicott interns in a number of positions, from website development to graphic design, event management to financial projections. Our Gulls worked directly with Voke and engaged with the greater Boston sports and marketing community. There is even a webpage on femalefannation.com dedicated to Endicott interns.
“Endicott College students have exceeded my expectations on all fronts growing Female Fan Nation,” says Voke. “The internship partnership has provided a bandwidth of talent from the different Schools. The students’ passion and career ambition were invaluable. Now, Female Fan Nation is positioned to attract potential investors in the coming months thanks to all their efforts.”
Sophie Frain ’22 was the first Endicott intern to work with FFN. “Laurie and I formed an instant bond and I felt like she truly cared about making this an essential learning experience for me,” says Frain. “She trusted my judgment and allowed me to have creative freedom with many projects. My roles as an intern never felt like busywork, but rather important additions to the improvement of Female Fan Nation.”
As it is often said about Endicott’s required internship model, the experience helped Frain pinpoint areas of interest, boosting her towards her current internship at the Duke University Athletic Department.
“I was so honored to be the first intern and to have forged a path for others to come after me.” —Sophie Frain ’22
“Since I was able to work on so many projects at FFN, I really learned what excites me about the sport industry and what roles I might not be most suitable for,” she says. “Because of the experience I had multitasking and working on various projects at once, I feel more confident handling multiple accounts. I also have an improved sense of the importance of networking and building lasting relationships.”
Here’s to a lasting business relationship that is sure to benefit Endicott students for years to come.
Female Fan Nation 2020–21 Interns
- Cassidy Aiello
- Bradley Baldinger
- Abigail Cassidy
- Sophie Frain
- Allison Gilet
- Madison Hentosh
- Hiroki Koda
- Tara Laugeni
- Maximillian Maggipinto
- Jillian Melanson
- Lauren Moore
- Giana Nekitopoulos
- Marissa Patti
- Delaney Proko
- Cara Smith
- Samantha Sutton
- Jamyang Taman
