Freshman Internship a Hole-In-One
By Christie Robins Watson
San José State University student Michelle Malagon-Cazarin had never driven a car or played a round of golf when she found herself behind the wheel of a golf cart on Spyglass Hill Golf Course in Pebble Beach, California.
“My favorite moment was right before we opened when it was dead quiet, and we could witness the ocean view. It was so beautiful and peaceful before the big rush,” she recalls of her time as an intern managing a concession tent and team at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February of 2022.
As a freshman majoring in business, Michelle had been recruited as one of San José State's most responsible, enthusiastic, and professional students to join the Special Event Management Team for the one-week tournament.
“I was a little skeptical because usually they would prefer a junior or a senior for the program, but I saw it as a great opportunity.”
As a junior in highschool, Michelle was introduced to The Reach Foundation, a non-profit organization supporting first generation college students. Her mentor, Tina Xu, supported her through the college application process, helping put her on the track of attending SJSU, and eventually driving up and down Spyglass Hill, stocking inventory for golfers like Canelo Alverez.
“I was too busy to witness him playing,” admits Michelle who was rising between 4 and 5 am, wondering why they were giving her so much food for breakfast, until she realized how much running and lifting would be required to keep her concessions running smoothly.
“I was under the impression that everything would be ready when I got there, but we were short-handed, and there were Covid restrictions. It was a lot of stress on our bodies!” she laughs.
Although Michelle is more interested in marketing than the hospitality aspect of business, she is grateful she learned time management and how to manage people.
“When some of the volunteers were eating snacks and talking to people instead of helping, I was kind to them, but in a firm way.”
Michelle concludes that applying for the internship early, her experience working at a restaurant, and seeing the application process as an opportunity to practice interviewing, helped award her the valuable experience, which has since linked her with business alumni from the program. Her future dream internship or job would be one in Silicon Valley with Apple, Google, or Tesla, where she just may find herself behind the wheel without needing a driver’s license once again.