Kallie Appleman of Concordia University Chicago women's volleyball is spending her summer working as an intern for the Schaumburg Boomers of baseball's Frontier League.
The soon-to-be senior is set to graduate from CUC in May 2021 with a degree in sports management. The three-sport high school athlete spent most of her life around athletics, and she felt this major was the right fit for her when she began looking into colleges.
"My mom started forcing me to look at colleges during my sophomore year (of high school)," Appleman said. "She said I needed to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. At the time, I was playing basketball, softball and volleyball through school in addition to club volleyball and travel softball. So sports always made sense."
Being a college athlete has only intensified Appleman's desire to work in sports, saying it's the teammates and coaches around her as well as her love for sports that keeps her wanting to do so. Her experience as a college athlete translates nicely into her role with the Boomers.
"There's a lot of leadership involved in being on the team," Appleman said. "I've carried a lot of that over to my internship. There's times I've had to lead other interns for sure."
The ability to lead as well as adapt has paid dividends for Appleman this summer. The nature of her job requires her to wear many hats and she never gets too wrapped up in one specific duty.
The Amboy, Ill. native arrives at the stadium a few hours prior to first pitch to ensure the stadium is prepared to welcome fans. Once everything is in order and the game begins, Appleman and her fellow interns bounce around the stadium and help wherever they're needed. For Appleman, this means never being bored by repeatedly doing one activity.
The games can get hectic, especially over holiday weekends such as the Fourth of July, but a strong group of workers creates a good working environment.
"The atmosphere is amazing and very welcoming," Appleman said. "Everyone there is super friendly and they're all willing to help out wherever they can."
Appleman believes the position has allowed her to become a lot more outgoing. Where she used to be shy, she has spent the summer talking to more and more people on a daily basis. Her favorite part has been meeting new people and getting her name out there.
As she sets her sights on her senior year, Appleman hopes for more moments like her team clinching a berth in the conference championship game last spring.
"Once I'm done with this internship, I will have time to reflect on it and think about what I want to do in the future," Appleman said. "During the school year, I want to focus on spending as much time with my friends as possible before we all leave and start our own lives."
