Members of the master of science in sports product management class of 2019 are participating in paid industry internships that immerse them in the sports and outdoor product industry this summer.
Satomi Ishikawa joined the master's program after working in digital marketing roles for both Shutterfly and Rakuten, the largest e-commerce site in Japan. She wanted to combine her business background with her passion to share the innate power that sport can have to positively affect people's lives.
This summer, Ishikawa is able to leverage that passion as a communications intern with Nike's Global Community Impact department. She primarily works with the communications and partnerships team, which allows her to utilize her digital background to help strengthen the team's digital strategy around Made to Play, Nike's commitment to getting more kids active. She also works with Nike's Asia Pacific and Latin America team, where she leverages her bilingual capabilities and past experience working in Tokyo.
“I was fortunate enough to meet an athlete named Ezra Frech during my internship and one of his mottos is that you can either dream it, hope for it—or make it happen. This really resonated with me. Being in the program and part of this industry has helped push me past my comfort zone in order to achieve my goals," said Ishikawa.
Upon graduation, Ishikawa hopes to contribute to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. “I moved to Tokyo the year that the city was selected to be a host for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Seeing the beginnings of the Olympic movement motivated me to somehow be a part of it. If I want to make Tokyo 2020 a reality and share the power of sports to the world, I need to be proactive and I need to be grateful—grateful of every opportunity I get, of every helping hand, and just of everything in general that comes my way."