Seizing the Opportunity

Management major Madeline Bowen ’19 knew she was going to need management experience to get a job after graduation. But how was she going to do that when she was only just starting?

“I wasn’t even thinking about that when I got the job at the Amalie Arena, but little did I know what great opportunities it would lead to,” she said. “Being in this industry can make it easier for me to branch out into other industries as well.”

During the school year, Bowen worked at the Amalie Arena, the downtown Tampa entertainment venue and home of the Tampa Bay Lightning. She was a runner in the full-service suites area, communicating between the kitchen and those serving guests in the suites.

“I am a runner, and I wear an apron,” she said back in spring semester. “That job has taken me to an environment where I dress in business casual, where I am exposed to the business side of things.”

Because of her Amalie Arena job, she met a coworker who introduced her to the management at Key Arena at Seattle Center, a venue in Seattle, WA, where Bowen was looking for a summer internship. After inquiring and interviewing with the director of operations for food and beverage for Levy Restaurants, which oversees the food and beverage services for Key Arena, she got the internship.

“The great thing about my internship is that every day is different! Event days at Key Arena are very busy but are so much fun,” said Bowen, an Honors Program student from Medfield, MA. “Usually, I arrive a few hours before the event and work on an ongoing task, such as filing papers or auditing various spreadsheets. As employees arrive, I record and distribute uniforms.”

Bowen, who is a President’s Leadership Fellow and a manager for UT Hockey, also sorts money to be distributed to each concession stand at the arena, and during the event, she helps managers wherever needed.

“At the end of the night, I am back in the cash room to count, strap and organize the money. Attention to detail is extremely important in the cash room as there cannot be any discrepancies between the amount of money we have and the amount of money we are supposed to have,” Bowen said.

One goal of an internship is to help refine a student’s career path. For Bowen, it has given her clarity and affinity for sports service and the food and beverage industry.

“I have been so lucky to get hands on experience that has taught me so much about how businesses are run,” Bowen said. “There absolutely are takeaways from this experience which will impact my academic work at UT. My internship has given me the opportunity to take material that I have learned in class and apply it to real-world situations, which is something for which I am extremely fortunate.”

Have a story idea? Contact Jamie Pilarczyk, Web Writer
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