Behind The ScenesIntern Chronicles

Intern Chronicles: Gary Acquah

ESPN Human Resources intern Gary Acquah (Jordan Thomas/ESPN)
Holy Cross senior Gary Acquah interned with ESPN’s Human Resources Department.
(Jordan Thomas/ESPN)
Acquah is a member of the Holy Cross football team. (Mark Seliger/Holy Cross Athletics)
Acquah is a member of the Holy Cross football team. (Mark Seliger/HC Athletics)

Editor’s note: Front Row’s Intern Chronicles series showcases ESPN’s summer interns. This installment is written by Communications Intern Jordan Thomas.

In fulfilling his commitments to an ESPN Internship and the Holy Cross football team this summer, Bronx, N.Y. native Gary Acquah showed great determination daily. Beginning at 6 a.m. near his Worcester, Mass. home, he lifted weights or ran with teammates. Then Acquah made the 90-mile trek to the Bristol, Conn. campus to report for his internship with ESPN’s Human Resources department.

After his 9-to-5 shift, he’d return to Massachusetts to complete the weekday cycle. Eight weeks and at least 7,200 miles later in his leased Honda Pilot, the senior sociology major has finished his internship. The Crusaders defensive lineman told Front Row how he balanced his commitments.

What was a typical day like for you?
A typical day for me would be waking up at 5:30 a.m. to get ready for either a team lift or run at 6 a.m. After our workout, I would shower and get ready for work. My commute takes about one hour and 20 minutes, so I had to leave by 7:30 a.m. I would get to campus by 9 a.m. and work until 5 p.m.

By the end of the week, did you feel drained?
The first two weeks, yes, but as time went on I definitely got used to the schedule. It was also a great environment to work within everyday, so that helped a lot.

What was your role at ESPN?
I interned with the Diversity, Inclusion and Wellness team for Human Resources. I worked with the eight Employee Resource Groups [ERGs] of the company and arranged events and meetings for them. I also worked within Content Planning [team within ESPN’s Media Technologies department] and ensured all of ESPN’s networks were closed captioned.

How did playing college football help you with your internship?
I was able to work on a team – as I do in football – to get tasks done. As a captain to about 95 players, I hear many different ideas and suggestions that come about, just as I did working on a team in an office setting. It allowed me to listen to different ideas from different people to achieve a common goal.

You hope to pursue a career in human resources. How did this internship help you?
It gave me a sense of how many different areas are in HR and the different parts of the company it supports. I also made a lot of great connections over the duration of my internship.

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