As the days fly by, it becomes harder and harder for me to believe how quickly the summer is moving. Everyone I have talked to about MSBA always stressed how swiftly everything goes by, and we are now experiencing this effect first hand.

Hailing from just across the river in New Jersey, I visit New York City quite frequently. Although I have developed a certain familiarity with what is in my opinion the greatest city in the world, it has been a completely different experience actually getting to live here.

My internship this summer is in digital media with the recently re-born New York Cosmos soccer club. It has been a fascinating opportunity to see this once world-renowned team rise from the ashes right before my eyes as the first regular season game quickly approaches.

This past Tuesday night, I travelled up to Newtown, Connecticut, to see the Cosmos take on Newtown Pride FC of the Connecticut Soccer League. Newtown is known by most of us as the location of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, a tragedy during which 26 innocent individuals lost their lives. The game was part of an event coined “Soccer Revolution” and all of the proceeds from the game were donated to the Newtown Parent Connection, a local charity designed to help young people with substance abuse problems, as well as the families affected by the shooting.

1: Kickoff! The #NYCosmos return to the field for the first time since 1984. #CosmosReboot
— The New York Cosmos (@TheNYCosmos) June 18, 2013

Due to the 80-mile trip taking an absurd four hours to complete, a number of my co-workers and I were unable to make it in time for kick-off. Nonetheless, I was able to help once I arrived by taking pictures of the coaches and players, conducting post-game interviews and writing a recap for the website.

This was the first time the Cosmos played in a competitive match since the club disbanded back in 1984. However, this night was not about that. It was about using sport to give back to the community. The world of sports has been expanding at a fleeting pace, especially over the last few years, and there is so much good to be done with its growing influence. It was incredible to be able to be part of such a special event.

This program is not only about our internships, but also networking, listening to captivating speakers and as a whole, getting to experience life in the fast lane. Possibly my favorite aspect has been listening to some of the most unique and brilliant minds in all of sports who have taken the time to come chat with us.

One of the speakers that stuck out to me was Reddit General Manager, Erik Martin. Erik stood out to me because I am a huge fan of Reddit.com and because his area of work, centering on providing digital content, is very much in line with what I hope to do with my life.

He had some very specific and helpful advice for me when I asked him a few questions during our discussion, so I decided to send him a follow-up e-mail to seek further insight.

Since Time Magazine named him as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2012, I certainly did not expect to ever hear back from him. To my surprise, I had a new e-mail sitting in my inbox from the man himself in no more than half an hour.

We went back and forth a few times, as he inquired about my areas of interest. and he was able to offer plenty of helpful hints and pieces of advice that have really helped point me in the right direction. Even though our conversation had nothing to do with sports, I don’t believe this exchange ever could have materialized without my participation in MSBA. Another one of the benefits of being in the program has been living with and getting to know 21 future stars of the industry that have similar goals and aspirations as I do. Just being able to sit down and talk sports with anyone involved is one part of being around them that I have truly enjoyed. More than that, getting to know such a great group of individuals has made it even more worthwhile.

It has been a phenomenal few weeks so far, and I cannot wait to see what amazing opportunities the rest of our time here will have to offer.