Student Interns with International Youth Sports League

Every time Jessica Cusimano interviews a young athlete her face lights up. She knows what it is like to play youth sports, and she is thrilled to have the chance to work with the Babe Ruth League.  She is developing her reporting, producing and editing skills in bringing news of the international youth baseball and softball league to a wider audience.

“The young girls I meet at the Babe Ruth World Series truly inspire me and remind me of when I was young and in love with the game,” says Cusimano, who recently described  her internship to business and education professionals at the university’s Business Advisory Council meeting.

Cusimano travels to events in New Jersey and in the Southern U.S.  where she meets top-notch athletes who have been recruited for strong athletic programs. She even helped create the Babe Ruth Network, which covers the Babe Ruth and Cal Ripken World Series and regular-season games.

The Babe Ruth World Series annually draws some 5,000 people from across the country when it is played at the end of July/beginning of August.  In 2017 a team from China will participate, bringing even more global interest in the league.

Because she played softball as a child and teen , Cusimano knows the  challenges young athletes face. “I went through three injuries with surgeries, and every time I got knocked down it taught me how to make myself stronger.”

She also has an internship in media relations with Faster2First, an organization that provides recruitment and development opportunities for aspiring college football, basketball and softball players.

Cusimano is majoring in communication and media studies with a minor in sport management. She appreciates the career guidance she has received from her professors. “They have gone above and beyond to help me achieve my dream.”

She would like to pursue on-air sports for a network like ESPN or Fox Sports. Caldwell has helped her make connections. “In the industry I am in, networking is key.” The “kind and dedicated” people at Caldwell have helped her spread her wings. “I can only imagine where my career will take me.”