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Reflection #1
My first impression of my internship was a little intimidating. Haverford, coming from a
high academic school, I know their staff expects nothing but the best from their volunteers and
their student interns. One of my concerns at first was if I was going to meet those expectations
that they expect throughout my time there. After the first day, I reevaluated myself and said that
nothing can get in my way when I look at my work ethic and my willingness to learn. I was very
excited about this opportunity. Throughout this internship I am basically becoming another
college assistant coach on staff. I couldnt wait to learn all the ins and outs when it comes to
running a successful college basketball program. I know questions may come up throughout this
internship but I know that is just part of the learning process. I think the most important aspects
of this internship is acting professionally. Me about to begin and establish myself into the
working world, I know employers will have high expectations and how I carry myself. I think
the most challenging part of this internship will be communication. Being a college coach, it
requires a ton of communication and responses in a timely manner. A lot to accomplish
throughout the whole process but I know I can achieve anything as long as I put my mind to it.
Reflection #2
There are many important characteristics of a successful exercise science professional but two
characteristics that stand out to me is dedication and passion. No matter what you do in life,
when you are in the workforce, you have to have dedication to your job. Dedication builds
character in a person and it is required to gain any kind of success or respect. During my
internship I have been 100% dedicated on learning and experiencing an everyday lifestyle of a
college basketball coach. To be a successful college basketball coach you have to be dedicated
to put in the extra hours of recruiting, scouting teams and getting shots up before and or after

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practice. There is always someone working harder than you out there and you have to have the
mindset that each and every day you are gaining more and more skill and experience. This was
my mindset going into each day at my internship no matter if we were on a recruiting visit or if I
was helping guys throughout practice. Also passion partakes in a huge role throughout your life.
Without passion towards something, it is hard to get by in life. You have to have something to
look up or forward to and no where your going (goals). Dedication and Passion are two great
qualities to have in any type of business
The other characteristic that I think is important to have to be a successful exercise
science professional is passion. Just like dedication, passion is something a person should have
for what he or she does for a living. You should look forward to going to work or spending time
at work if you have a passion for something. Having a passion for something is something you
love to do. Basketball is what I love to do so during this whole process I have been passionate
and took pride on what I was able to contribute to the team for them to be an overall successful
program. These two characteristics I have made strong connections with my internship and I
plan to acquire them in my future jobs and what I do for the rest of my life.
Reflection #3
One major stress that I have experienced during this internship is arriving on Haverfords campus
on time. Haverford College is about 45 minutes away from my house and about 30 minutes from
Immaculata. This is not always the case though because most of the time I hit some kind of
traffic. There have been times where it has taken me 1 hour and 30 minutes for me to arrive on
campus. Depending on what my advisor had in store for me that day to do, I had to make sure I
was leaving at a good time so I can make it there in a timely fashion. Some methods I would use

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was to look at the traffic on Google maps and determine how much time I needed to arrive on
campus the time they needed me to be there.
Another stress that I have experienced during my internship was interacting with future
potential players parents. At first it was tough on my because this whole experience was new to
me and I did not know how to interact or talk to parents the proper way. Throughout the
internship I gained knowledge of the school and the program as whole and felt more comfortable
talking about the school and basketball department not just to players parents but to friends and
family members as well.
Reflection #4
Looking back on it, I think I did the best job I could of balancing my internship with the rest of
my lives tasks. Including my internship, I still had a full plate on my hand that I had to manage.
One of them being a student. I was taking 18 credits total which is no easy task. I am also a part
of the basketball team at Immaculata which takes away a lot of time itself with practicing,
watching film and lifting. Finally, I also work a part time job a few hours a week for income. I
manage these roles by having good work ethic, organization skills and time management. I
picked a tough time in my life to complete the internship but I know it had to be done and I was
up for the challenge. I commute everywhere so I need some kind of income to pay for my gas.
Working weekends is a must for me to do so. Also being a commuter, I was still able to have
healthy relationships with my family which is always a plus. No significant other for me yet but
it was a good thing I didnt because I wouldnt have time for her haha. All in all, it was a tough
task and Im still not finished yet. The busiest semester of college by far but I know it will only
benefit me in the long run.

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Reflection #5
Some words that describe how I feel about myself being an Exercise Science Professional
is proud and loving. This particular major, in order to be successful you have to love what you
do and at the same time be proud doing it. If you dont love it than you may want to switch to
have a different major that makes you more happy. This major may give you some hard times
finding a job it being a competitive field but you have to stay focused and determined to
achieving your future goals. There has been many cases in my lifetime that persuaded me into
becoming an exercise science major. Sports are my life and always have been. The best way to
do something in sport for me was to pick this major. Still figuring out on what I want to do but
what Im sure is that I want to be a basketball coach and potentially be an athletic director in the
future. The reasons for this is I am not going to be able to play the sport of basketball forever so
I figured I want to still have ties with the game. I would love to coach because I think it will be a
great thing to have on my resume plus I would love to do itEspecially after the experiences I
had with my internship. Also I love scheduling, organizing and managing things. I love having
control to a certain extent. I think an athletic director would be a great future job to have if I am
able to achieve it. It is all about you know in this field and communication is a big part of it. I
am looking forward to my future in the exercise science field.
Reflection #6
There was this one situation during my internship that I was a little disappointed about. One day
in late September we were on a recruiting visit to Plymouth Whitemarsh High School to recruit
this young man. We drove about 25 minutes to the gym and waited and waited. At first we had
went to wrong gym but then the coaching staff called the coach and we were directed to the right
one eventually. We finally arrived and was sad to find out that the young man that we were

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recruiting was injured. Me being unaware of this, one of our coaches had a slight lack of
communication with the young man and his availability of an open practice he could perform in.
The head assistant basketball coach at Haverford (my advisor) had discussed with me that this
should never happen if I were to get a coaching job and eventually go out to a high school and
recruit a player. Luckily, the high school was only 25 minutes away from Haverford but the
whole situation could have been a lot worse if the high school was farther. He elaborated on it
was a lack of communication and it happens sometimes. One positive thing I can get out of this
is a whole learning experience. If I do end up being a college coach and go out recruiting
players, I would make sure my communication skills are proficient and that the coach I are on
the right page as far as seeing his players perform. A disappointing situation but I know things
happen like this all the time in this business.
Reflection #7
During my internship, I wouldnt say at any point that I felt that my values were threatened.
However, there was a situation that I thought that my opinion didnt really matter. Which is
understandable because I know the coaching staff has more basketball knowledge and I know my
part and position with the program. There was one incident, we were at a basketball clinic in
Philadelphia in which I had saw a very skilled basketball that I thought would be a great fit for
Haverford College. I happened to know this player because he is a player and my old high
school and I know the way he plays. I had mentioned the player to the staff but I do not thing
they further pursued on recruiting that player. I was a little disappointed because he was very
skilled and had the grades to get into Haverford. In all aspects of the program and attending the
school it would be a great fit but I think the staff just disregarded on what I said and it was little
disappointing. I care on what the future holds for the program with me being a part of it or not.

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Not to say they are never going to speak to the player again and I just think they dont think its a
necessity on looking or recruiting him deeply. We will see but I would love to say I had recruited
a player to attend Haverford College as an intern.
Reflection 8
I can honestly say there was not one single time while at Haverford where I had witnessed a
potential unethical behavior. Everyone on the staff and the athletic staff as a whole had treated
me and everyone the same way and with respect. It was a tremendous professional working
environment and I am very thankful to have worked there. I enjoyed every single day that I had
worked in the office. I felt like I was a part of the family within days of working there. The
overall experience was enjoyable, productive and knowledgeable. I would gladly work at
Haverford College on an athletic staff. The working environment is not stressful and everyone is
very friendly but at the same time gets their work done. Its a perfect recipe for success.
Reflection #9
There were minor conflicts during my time at my internship including the basketball staff and I.
There was this one day at the office where we had met as a basketball staff and we were going
through all the recruits we were looking at for next season. The head coach had not agreed with
the rest of the assistant coaches on where some players stood in order of importance, skill and
necessity of the player. I learned throughout the whole process of recruiting, that there are
always going to be differences between likeness and skill from coach and to coach. It is just the
nature of recruiting and on how the players may perform on certain days. There will always be
different views on certain players and I understand that. However it can be resolved quickly. To
resolve it quickly we had made a master list of all the recruits we had like. From head coach to

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assistant coach to me. The master list had included 30+ players but that was totally fine. The list
is going to dwindle down eventually because of how hard it is to get into Haverford so having a
big master list is not a conflict after all.
Reflection #10
The coaches and I, no matter what our job assignment was, has always worked as a team.
In the coaching world, you have work as a group to have any kind of success. As I stated in
previous journals and reflections between coach and coach, there is a ton of communication
going into this profession. Constant emails, texts and phone calls are being made to one another
to make sure everyone is on the same page and in the loop in order to continue and develop a
successful program. My role consisted of me essentially being another assistant coach if you
will and pretty much doing the same thing the rest of the staff would be doing as to writing
emails, player development and also help recruit. It is a total collective team effort on building a
program and I was glad to be a part of it.
Reflection #11
Every time I had worked for Haverford involved a lot of communication. So what I have learned
to most would be how to approach and to talk to people. My speech and my writing skills
towards people have tremendously improved. I am confident when I approach people or am
being confronted on something. I have become more outgoing and learned to speak more freely
and voice my opinion. During the beginning of this practicum experience, I did know how to do
that. I didnt know how to conduct a email the right way to a different coach or an athletic
director. I didnt know how to write a proper resume until my advisor showed me. It was a little
intimidating at first because I was a little less knowledgeable in the professional world as I am

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now. I have grown a good amount as a professional as to the way I conduct myself, dress and the
way I talk to employers, coaches and players.
One disappointing experience during my internship was when I did not properly groom
myself while attending a Saint Josephs practice earlier in the year. I was also wearing a pair of
earrings which was not that professional. I learned a lot from this experience. It taught me to
always keep up with grooming (clean shave) and to always dress professionally. Especially when
you are attending a Division 1 practice and meeting Phil Martelli. One thing positive was it was
learning experience. You learn from you mistakes and life goes on. I know now to always be
professional in the working world. A lot of people get a first impression on how you look and it
is always good to be looking cool, calm and collected.
Reflection #12
Being involved in this internship has dramatically changed my attitudes and behaviors towards
everything I do. Following and even during my internship, when I meet, greet or welcome
anyone it is in a professional manner. This whole experience has influenced me more to act like
I am in the working world and treat everything with respect. With coaching wanting to be my
potential career, this whole experience was a learning process not from just the coaching stand
point but helping me prepare myself for the real world. This intern came with many
responsibilities in order for me to get ready for the real world and I couldnt of been happier to
work with a group of people that impacted my life tremendously. I am now more confident on
going on an interview or meeting new people.

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