Chapel Internship leads student to impactful experience at Nike

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Katie Dallas traveled from Penn State to Beaverton, Oregon, this summer for a coveted internship with athletic footwear and apparel behemoth Nike.

Dallas, a fourth-year student-athlete majoring in English and minoring in women’s studies, recently completed a purpose communications internship with Nike thanks to Penn State’s Chapel Executive Internship Program.

As a Chapel Intern, Dallas was able to receive funding from the College of the Liberal Arts for her experience.

“The funding from the program allowed me to fully dive into my experiences in Oregon without having to worry about the costs of living,” Dallas said. “I could dream bigger and put all of my energy and focus into my goals of moving the world forward through the power of sport with Nike.”

Dallas said the application process consisted of an initial written application, two recorded interviews answering questions and two Zoom interviews with the managers she would later work with.

“I definitely studied a lot when it came to those final-round interviews,” said Dallas, a member of Penn State’s women’s track and field team. “This year’s acceptance rate was only about 0.3%.”

Dallas correctly assumed the internship would be an amazing experience. She said it helped her gain confidence to pursue her goals, both at Nike and in the future.

As a purpose communications intern, Dallas assisted in shaping the storytelling surrounding Nike’s “Great Place to Work” campaign and “People, Planet, Play” framework.

The “Great Place to Work” campaign highlighted Nike as a positive work environment, especially for sports lovers. Dallas helped create messaging, drafted content and analyzed logistics for the campaign, leading Nike to reach over 22 million Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers on social media.

The “People, Planet, Play” work guides Nike’s purpose by focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion, sustainability and environmental impact, and youth empowerment through physical activity.

“Whether it was supply-chain, sustainability or empowering the future of youth sports, I was able to be a part of those moments,” Dallas said.

Although these projects were meaningful for Dallas, her favorite experience was the three-day-long, cross-functional Combine competition, where intern groups presented ideas on how Nike could best move its mission forward.

“It was a chaotic three days, but by the end of it, my team and I created something we’re incredibly proud of — I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people,” Dallas said. “My team and I were finalists and placed third out of 18 total teams, which was amazing!”

Dallas said her English studies helped prepare her for the technical and creative writing that went into the position, while her women’s studies minor gave her a deeper background in the areas that she focused on, such as encouraging young women to persevere and thrive in sports.

Her liberal arts education also equipped her with various soft skills that contributed to her success, including adaptability and well-roundedness.

“At Penn State, I’ve really gotten to develop my creativity, allowing me to dream bigger and always think outside the box at Nike,” Dallas said. “I not only had the tools to tell stories of impact and purpose, but I was able to understand and better shape narratives that affected underrepresented groups.”

This storytelling made Dallas realize how each moment resonated with a diverse, global audience, and how the work she was doing was impactful, important and changing people’s lives.

“Working in this space definitely showed me how much I value the impact of my career on the community and the world,” Dallas said. “I got to connect and work with people I would have never had the opportunity to meet otherwise.”

Being in a diverse community with people from all around the United States was impactful, but Dallas said the most valuable thing she gained from her experience was a sense of fearlessness.

“I was overwhelmed by the idea of how big and expansive Nike was; I didn’t know if I was going to be able to keep up or reach my potential,” she said. “Yet, throughout the summer, both the internship program and my manager always believed in me and encouraged me to dream big.”

Being surrounded by other interns and passionate colleagues who inspired her made Dallas decide that she wants these types of people in her future career.

“I’m excited to bring this fearlessness to share ideas and dream big back to Penn State and into my own career,” she said.