University of Oklahoma graduate and Dallas native Caitlin Crawford got the internship opportunity of her dreams when she was chosen for the chance to work with the media department of the Dallas Cowboys. She was a longtime fan of this football team and was excited to be a part of it all and put the skills she had learned in the broadcast and electronic media program, which she graduated from in 2013, to good use.

Caitlin knew that in order to make a strong impression on those responsible for choosing interns it would be necessary to showcase her abilities and prove she was the best person for the job. She selected some of her best work which accomplished exactly what she hoped it would, and she got a phone interview which of course lead to her being offered the position.

Her advice to others who also hope to get a chance like she did, is to first of all work at gradually becoming more at ease in front of the camera, an essential skill in this field. Excellent written communication skills are also a must, such as those demonstrated by Crawford in her well-written sports articles. Technical know-how when it comes to producing quality video work is another key quality applicants need to possess.

This internship opportunity gave Crawford the chance to put what she had learned in school into practice. She not only became more at ease standing in front of the camera, but she also had ample requests for applying her knowledge and familiarity with numerous editing programs, and even got to operate a newly acquired playback system which she alone was in the know about.

Before starting her position with the Cowboys, she prepared herself by learning as much as possible about all aspects of the team from its history to its individual players, staff members, and scores. Her internship spanned two summers when she was not attending classes, and she was also given the chance to produce a couple of other features for associated media company later on as well.

Crawford's work days as an intern were filled with variety. Sometimes she would be interviewing players, and would need to keep a flexible schedule as they would show up at various times since it was during the off-season. Covering and producing numerous televised shows, script and feature development were amongst her typical duties each day.

Crawford believes that anyone who wishes to someday end up with an opportunity like hers should be sure that he or she possesses certain qualities that are considered valuable to the Dallas Cowboys. These traits include a strong work ethic, being a self-starter who can generate innovative ideas, carry out careful research for assignments, and shows perseverance and the ability to learn from mistakes.

Caitlin Crawford is very grateful for the experience she had working with the Dallas Cowboys and she one day hopes to have a career in sports broadcast journalism. Having this unique opportunity to put on her resume along with active participation in her school's newscasting department, her chances of obtaining a fulfilling position with a sports organization or news station are quite good.