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BLACKSBURG – Looking for an internship this summer, Jessi Thon received an email from Tech’s Office of Student-Athlete Development about some possibilities with Nike. The catch, though, was that the officials from Nike were looking for physics and engineering majors. But Thon chose public relations as her major during her sophomore year, with a minor in business leadership.

Undeterred, Thon put in a little research. Her efforts paid off when the Tech lacrosse standout received word from Nike officials early this spring that she had been selected for a summer internship.

“Reyna [Gilbert-Lowry, associate AD for student-athlete development] sent out an email saying that Nike was looking for interns who are physics and engineering majors, which I am not,” Thon said. “I decided to dig a little deeper and look into their internships in other departments, such as advertising and marketing. From there, I just filled out my information and sent in a resumé, and within a few weeks, I had an email from one of the recruiters.

“Nike has always been a brand that I have identified with. Growing up, I looked to Nike as being the best without even understanding why I felt that way. Looking back at it now, it makes me wonder, if Nike had the ability to make 8-year-old Jessi want their products over any others, how does that translate to the way they market their products and embody the wants and needs of their consumers at all ages? If they were able to have that much of an impact on me then, I am interested in the impact this company will have on me now.”

Thon, a native of Victor, New York, secured living quarters in Beaverton, Oregon, roughly a mile from Nike’s world headquarters for the summer. She is now in the middle of a 12-week internship, working in product management in Nike’s tennis department.

“More specifically, I work in apparel, and we pretty much work directly with the athletes,” she said. “We come up with an idea or design of what we want our athletes to wear for each tournament and work hand in hand with all the other departments to see it go through and that it gets approved on all levels of the organization.”

The internship serves as a nice way to get Thon some much-needed professional experience for her future. Like most Olympic sport student-athletes, the rising senior – who started 17 of Tech’s 18 games and scored 13 goals this past season, with nine assists – knows her opportunities are limited as far as playing her sport professionally. So she wants to be prepared for the future.

So far, her experience with Nike has been amazing, she said.

“I have found that Nike's culture is contagious, in the most energizing way possible,” she said. “The people who work for Nike are genuinely interested in what they are doing and truly dedicated to their mission. The culture here is to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. If you have a body, you are an athlete.

“Their mission, in a way, parallels Virginia Tech's "Invent the Future" mentality. Our world is constantly changing, and we are forced to adapt and find better ways to develop new ideas and new technologies. Nike is an incredible company to work for because it is constantly changing. There are new designs created every day, and it's an adventure trying to navigate through it all.”

Thon’s internship ends Aug. 20, and classes at Tech begin on Aug. 24. That leaves little time for relaxation in preparation for her final year.

But she wouldn’t have it any other way. This internship plays a big role in determining her future path – and she wouldn’t be disappointed if she found herself heading back to the Pacific Northwest.

“As of right now, I would love to find a career in sports marketing and advertising,” she said. “I am hoping to network and connect with more people within Nike's community – and find a path leading back to here after graduation.”

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