This week in the Fortinet Intern Spotlight Series, we introduce Hannah Mladenik. Mladenik was an operations intern in the summer of 2023.
Hannah Mladenik from Sugar Grove, Illinois graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, for sports marketing and management with a minor in business and event planning. Growing up in the Chicago area, Mladenik participated in soccer, gymnastics, and cheerleading. She got the spark to pursue a career in sports by attending sporting events.
“My family has season tickets to the White Sox, and we’d always go to sporting events in Chicago,” Mladenik said. “In 2015, I went to the Stanley Cup Finals game, and we had won for the first time in like 50 years. The electricity and atmosphere in the building were insane and from then on, I knew I wanted to work in sports.”
Mladenik then went on to work in Indiana’s event management office where she helped with managing site setup for the 24 different sports across campus. There, she also learned about the AJGA and its internship program.
“My mentor and boss at Indiana did the AJGA internship and loved it so she pushed me to apply,” Mladenik said. “I really didn’t think anything would come of it, but I got invited to intern recruiting weekend (IRW) and as soon as I went down to Georgia I was instantly welcomed by great people. I knew I needed to work here as soon as I experienced that and luckily here I am.”
Mladenik worked with Team 1 who hailed from all parts of the country ranging from Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Florida, and Maryland. Along with many others before her, AJGA interns receive extensive training at headquarters before they go on the road learning the rules of golf, pace of play and operations setup among other AJGA policies and procedures.
“Personally, I didn’t have much golf experience myself before the AJGA although I had sports operations experience, it was still a bit different,” Mladenik said. “But I came into it pretty quickly after the first week of training and getting a crash course of the rules I felt pretty good. When you’re on-site, there’s still a lot of learning, growing, and adapting but I’ve enjoyed it.”
Traveling alongside her teammates, Mladenik worked the eastern coast part of the country ranging from Vermont to Florida. Engaging in tasks ranging from course setup and breakdown to rules officiating and player interaction. During the three months on the road, she has gained experience and skills that she feels will help her move forward in her budding sports career.
“I think communication has been the biggest skill I’ve grown,” Mladenik said. “Whether that’s your team, players, or the parents, there’s always a connection to be made. That’s a great skill to have especially in sports, where you need to be able to know how to communicate effectively and talk with people.”
After the internship, Mladenik was hired as a Meeting Coordinator at the Big Ten Conference. Leveraging the valuable skills and experiences she acquired during her time with the AJGA, she seamlessly transitioned into her new role.
If you're driven to be part of this dynamic community, applications for the 2024 AJGA Internships are open. For more insights into the #AJGAInternship, explore the AJGA Careers webpage and Instagram channel .
