An Olympic-sized internship

University of Delaware marketing major Samantha Matisoff loved sports - especially soccer and the U.S. Women's National Team - but her career trajectory remained uncertain.

Following her sophomore year, Matisoff added sport management as a second major and never expected a conversation after the introductory International Sport Management class to change the course of her career.

By the end of the academic year, Matisoff, a rising senior in the University of Delaware's Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics had coordinated logistics for an international coaching program, traveled to the International Olympic Committee headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, and discovered a passion for the Olympic movement that reshaped her professional goals.

"I really enjoyed the class," Matisoff said of the course taught by Matthew Robinson, professor of sport management. "It focused a lot on the Olympic system, which I didn't know much about."

After only the second day of class, Matisoff introduced herself to Robinson and told him how interested she was in the subject matter. That simple conversation became the first step toward an opportunity she never anticipated.

During the semester, Robinson invited Matisoff to assist with the International Coaching Enrichment Certificate Program (ICECP), a global education and sport development program he oversees, offered by UD in partnership with and funded by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Olympic Solidarity fund and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC).

Each year, the ICECP hosts 30 coaches from around the globe to participate in a year-long academic and practical program. Participants who successfully complete all academic requirements, including implementing a project that positively impacts sport in their home country, travel to IOC headquarters in Lausanne for the closing graduation module.