Summer break is the perfect time for college students to dive into internship opportunities, and St. Norbert College students consistently rise above the competition, whether the opportunity is right here in the Midwest or nearly 1,800 miles away. Just ask Zoe Zasada ’26, who spent summer 2025 gaining hands-on experience in the human resources department of the Las Vegas Raiders, turning a summer break into a career-building experience in one of the nation’s most exciting sports markets.

What initially drew you to apply for an internship with the Las Vegas Raiders, and what excited you most when you received the offer?

My father had spent a lot of time just sending me different internship opportunities for me to apply to. I am really interested in working in sports and I originally applied for three different positions; human resources, alumni relations, and digital marketing. I was most excited about working for powerful women in sports; my supervisor, Heather DeSanto, was very welcoming but also made sure a lot got done.

Can you describe your role as a human resources intern and what a typical day looked like?

I was in charge of multiple projects at a time, so I budgeted my time where before lunch I would finish a project that was almost done, then work on another project. Then after lunch I would work on a different project. My main project was updating their employee development and training guides. So this included creating a new name for their orientation and updating all the materials in their welcome packet with correct information. I also added in new materials like an employee value proposition, employee intranet guide, and benefits guide.

How did your coursework and/or experiences at St. Norbert College help prepare you for this role?

My communication classes prepared me a lot for the presentations, writing proposals, and average email communication. I also took computer applications for business my first year and remembered a lot of that class that helped me with using Microsoft on a daily basis.

What skills did you develop or strengthen that you didn’t expect going into the summer?

A complete understanding of the different aspects of human resources. My supervisor had me do a bunch of different projects to get an idea of all the different positions in human resources. I handled employee relations programs, diversity projects, and even employee suggestions.

What was it like working for a professional sports organization beyond game days?

It was a great experience. It was a professional work environment, but also relaxed at the same time. Everyone got their work done in a professional manner, but on the side we had more of a relaxed dress code and always had sports playing on a tv in the background.

How did this internship shape your understanding of human resources as a career path?

It made me realize that this is what I want to do for a career. Before going into this internship, I was set in a marketing or social media management career path. Getting a lot of hands-on experience in the human resources field made me realize this is exactly what I wanted to do.

In what ways did this experience prepare you for your future career goals?

My last week of my internship, they really wanted the interns to be focused on making connections. So I was able to set some of my work aside and set up meetings with different departments and just ask questions. One of the meetings I set up was with our talent acquisition position. I asked him questions about recruiting, applying for jobs, what looks good in an interview, and I had him help me clean up my resume.

What advice would you give students hoping to land a competitive internship like this one?

1. Do your research on the organization. Before the interview, my dad would quiz me on Raider’s history and their leadership. 
    
2. Be yourself. One of the questions all the interns thought was really interesting was, “If you had a walk up song for work, what would it be?” A lot of jobs want to know your personality as well as your job experience.

Zoe plans to pursue a career in human resources in the Greater Green Bay area after graduation.

More than 90 percent of St. Norbert College grads routinely report being employed, in graduate school or doing service work within nine months of graduation. One of the reasons behind this impressive statistic is that the college offers students a wealth of career preparation opportunities. Learn more about the SNC Academic Advising & Career Development Center.