Intern of the Week

A rabid Milwaukee Brewers fan growing up, Amanda Howser was thrilled to land an internship with her favorite team. Amanda talks about working behind the scenes in customer relations, meeting players and suite holders and getting attacked by a wasp while the Brewers took batting practice.

How did you get the internship?I had been applying for it for probably three months, putting in applications with the Brewers not just for this internship but other internships, as well. I finally got a call back two months later.

Why did you pick this job?I've always really wanted to work in sports -- that's always been my goal. After graduation I really want to work in sports. But I also really, really like the Brewers. I grew up in Milwaukee and working for the Brewers has always been my first choice.

What is your previous work experience in customer relations?I worked for a hair salon and book store. We had regular customers and stuff but it wasn't the same type of atmosphere where you meet with them a lot of times after and make sure they are continuously happy with their purchase. That to me was the biggest learning experience, just to see how hard the director and manager work to keep those relationships [with suite holders] intact.

What was your first day like?I was really nervous my first day because I didn't know what to expect...It was a game day and Ricky Weeks was walking in front of me...Also, on that same day, Ryan Braun, who was Rookie of the Year last year, was signing with the Brewers for a long team deal...It was cool to be there for that, too. So I got to see all the workings of the game. I wasn't sitting in the office for two minutes; I was running around the stadium with the director. It ended up being a really fun first day.

What do you do on most days?It depends if it is a home game or away. Game days I get there quite a bit early. I'm usually there from 1- 6:30 p.m. I'm just there to do pre-game stuff. Non-game days I work 1-5 p.m. If they are away, I am in the office. I am getting tickets out to suite holders and filing stuff and doing a lot of office type work.

Do you stay for games?Sometimes I'll stay if some of my friends have tickets or if it's a big game against a rival, but otherwise I go home and finish watching it.

Do you have to pay?If we just hang around after work we don't pay. But if it's a game that we want a lot of tickets to then it's 50 percent off.

Since it's not paid, how are you getting by?I'm also working at a local insurance company for about 20 hours a week, which is an internship as well that's paid.

What do you do for meals?On game days they serve food in the press box. They serve turkey burgers, salad, fruit, lots of stuff -- it's pretty good food, but I'm usually too busy to take a break!

Any perks?I take suite holders down to the field to view batting practice.

Have you met any famous people?The players definitely are very friendly and courteous and if you walk past them they say hi and greet you. I actually met Mo Williams who is a member of the Milwaukee Bucks and a suite holder. My third day I had to greet him at the door and take him down to the field down to batting practice.

Do you know all the suite holders personally?I definitely want to know where they work and their name. It is definitely important to know who you're greeting. There are 68 suites. I'm not technically in charge of certain suites but rather the director, manager and I oversee everything to see that everything is running smoothly, that the suite has everything it needs, the people that are coming in have the tickets that they need. A lot of my job has more to do with working with the customer.

What's been the best part?Overall, just being able to see the inter-workings of the organization. Obviously I'm a fan. I always wanted to know what goes on behind the scenes. Now, because of this internship, I've seen everything from baseball operations to vendors. Being able to see how all of that is organized for game day -- all the people and all the hard work...It gave me a new perspective on how big a baseball organization is and how much goes into it.

Biggest down side?Just doing filings or typing I get a little bored, but that's part of any job.

What is most unique about this internship?I get to see and meet all these people. And see things that some people will never see in their lives or experience. Even meeting some of the customers -- they are huge business owners in the area.

What's your dream job?I have always wanted to work in movies and work with writing scripts, or work in baseball with event planning or some type of PR work for the Brewers.

Any funny stories from your experiences at your internship?One of the days I was on the field during batting practice and I didn't realize it but I had a wasp right on my chest and my boss tried to swat it off me but she swatted it down my shirt. I was screaming and basically giving everyone a free show. Everyone was staring at me...I didn't get stung though, so that was good.