Richmond senior learns from the NFL playbook
Student Experience
University of Richmond senior Christianne “Chrissy” Bertrand interned at one of the nation’s top sports entertainment brands — the National Football League.
Bertrand, a political science major with a minor in law and liberal arts, secured a human resources internship at the NFL headquarters in New York City this summer. She learned about the opportunity through Prep for Prep, a nonprofit that helps place high-achieving students from underrepresented backgrounds into competitive academic and professional settings. Bertrand has been involved with the organization since middle school, serving as a teaching assistant and counselor for them in the past.
“They sent out an email about opportunities, I applied, and a few weeks later, I received an offer from the NFL,” she said.
Exploring all aspects of HR
Bertrand started the role in June and tapped into her previous experience working as an intern with a New York City law firm, where she assisted with the recruitment process for summer associate candidates and legal personnel.
Her internship duties with the NFL involved a more varied set of tasks. She participated in projects that ranged from creating a housing guide for future interns to fielding policy questions from the HR Answers hotline. She also assisted employee relations lawyers by compiling a state-by-state index of labor laws for NFL offices across the nation.
She quickly discovered the many facets of the human resources field. “I wasn’t aware HR had so many moving parts, including compensation and benefits, talent acquisition, and even legal aspects,” she said. “I got to do a little bit of everything. It kept me engaged and on my toes.”
Working for one of the most recognizable sports organizations in the world came with experiences that most fans don’t ever see. Bertrand was given a tour of the NFL’s officiating command center, where football experts review play calls in real time, and its NFL Films office in New Jersey. At the latter, she encountered memorabilia, film archives, and the production facilities for football documentaries, including the Netflix series Quarterback and Receiver.
My advice to other students is to just do it. Don’t rule yourself out of opportunities because you think you’re not a perfect fit."
Learning the corporate culture
While NFL employees take their jobs — and the game — seriously, Bertrand found the league’s work culture to be different than the typical suit-and-tie corporate environment she expected. “I was surprised by how approachable everyone was. It was busy, but it felt like a family, very collaborative and very friendly,” Bertrand said.
Bertrand was able to attend weekly networking meetings arranged by her manager. One area that caught her attention was player engagement, which she described as essentially “guidance counselor” services for athletes. “The player engagement staff are there to help with anything — if a player has a legal issue, a family problem, or even needs advice on managing their money,” Bertrand said. “It’s very people-based work.” She found out that the department also maintains connections with retired players, hosting events and programs to help them stay involved in the NFL community.
Broadening her horizons
Bertrand credits her Richmond experience with preparing her to make the most of her internship, especially in stepping outside her comfort zone as an introvert. She points to American Political Theory with political science professor Kevin Cherry as a key building block for her communication skills. “It was one of the hardest classes I’ve taken, but Dr. Cherry was so supportive,” she said. “I went from feeling intimidated to presenting my final paper at the School of Arts and Sciences Student Symposium,” she said.
Other UR courses with political science professors, like Politics of Asia with Dan Chen and Global Governance with Monti Datta, challenged Bertrand to lead class discussions, collaborate with peers, and engage with real-world issues through simulations and guest speakers. “All of that made me more confident about networking and reaching out to people I might have been too nervous to email before,” she said.
Looking ahead to her senior year and beyond, Bertrand said the internship had given her both confidence and clarity, and helped her see the value in exploring a nontraditional path, even with a law school degree in her future. She is considering working in legal recruiting or another HR role first.
Her key takeaway from this year’s summer internship — growing professionally often means taking a leap.
“My advice to other students is to just do it. Don’t rule yourself out of opportunities because you think you’re not a perfect fit,” Bertrand said. “I don’t know a lot about football, but I applied anyway, and it worked out. Be open-minded, because you might find something you love in a place you didn’t expect.”