HIGH POINT, N.C., Dec. 9, 2015 – Two High Point University students scored big in their internships assisting with event management for the ACC Championship in Charlotte on Dec. 5. Senior Graham Billings and junior Ryan McCabe, who have interned with the ACC’s Game Day Operations Center throughout football season, played important roles in the nationally televised game, including set-up of the venue, managing the halftime show and coordinating fan events
Billings and McCabe’s responsibilities kept them busy Friday through Sunday. They participated in a walk-through of Bank of America stadium, the ACC Football Night of Legends ceremony, a youth football clinic, the pregame events, halftime and the post-game ceremony
This is the second year both students have interned with the ACC. Each weekend this fall they have monitored the league’s football games from the Game Day Operations Center at the ACC’s headquarters in Greensboro.
Billings, a communication major from Marblehead, Massachusetts, says the hard work was well worth being a part of such a major sporting event.
“Working in the Game Day Operations Center has been an incredible blessing,” he says. “I grew up watching college football every Saturday with my family. To be able to work on college football’s biggest stage in front of tens of thousands of passionate fans is a dream come true. The ACC has opened so many doors for me and has pushed my career aspirations in the sports media world to the next level.”
McCabe, a communication major from Trumbull, Connecticut, adds that working the ACC Championship made for a winning internship experience.
“I have learned valuable skills in my two years and have made some great friends all the while working at one of the biggest stages in college sports,” McCabe says. “It has been a once in a lifetime experience that I will cherish forever.”