Communications / Media Relations
Athletic Communications interns serve as strategic storytellers and communications representatives for UC Santa Barbara Athletics, helping promote and enhance the visibility of Gaucho student-athletes, teams, coaches, and departmental initiatives. Interns gain hands-on experience in collegiate athletic communications by working closely with student-athletes, coaches, administrators, media members, and fans in a fast-paced Division I environment. Strong communication skills, professionalism, attention to detail, and the ability to work under deadlines are essential.
The Athletic Communications office is responsible for managing the department’s public relations efforts, media relations, statistical reporting, digital content, and official communications across all platforms, including UCSBGauchos.com and official team social media channels. Interns may be assigned specific sports and will assist with the day-to-day communications needs for those programs, including writing press releases, game recaps, feature stories, match notes and record book updates. Interns also support live event coverage through statistics, in-game media operations and social media content creation.
Throughout the academic year, interns will have opportunities to work a variety of home athletic events while developing skills in media relations, brand storytelling, digital engagement, and content strategy. The internship provides valuable professional experience for students interested in careers in collegiate athletics, professional sports, media relations, digital media, and public relations. Past Athletics Communications interns have gone on to work in collegiate athletics, professional sports organizations, conference offices, and public relations agencies.
The Communications Internship positions are currently accepting applicants for the 2026–27 academic year. If you are interested in working in specific sports, you can find the contact below.
For those interested in working with women’s soccer, men’s basketball, golf, softball, men’s and women’s tennis and men’s and women’s swim contact Nick Mathey at nick.mathey@athletics.ucsb.edu.
For those interested in working with men’s soccer, baseball or men’s and women’s water polo contact Eric Boose at eric.boose@athletics.ucsb.edu.
For those interest in working with men’s and women’s volleyball, women’s basketball, cross country and track and field contact Molly Donaldson at molly.donaldson@athletics.ucsb.edu
Social Media
As a Social Media Intern, you will help grow and enhance the UC Santa Barbara Athletics brand across multiple social media platforms. Interns may be assigned specific sports and will assist in creating, capturing and publishing content for team social media accounts, including Instagram, X/Twitter and TikTok. Responsibilities may include graphic and video content creation, game day coverage, writing captions, monitoring trends and helping execute social media strategies that engage fans and promote UCSB Athletics. Interns will also gain experience analyzing platform analytics and performance metrics to better understand audience engagement and help inform content decisions. For more information about this opportunity, contact Nick Mathey at Nick.Mathey@athletics.ucsb.edu.
Graphic Design
UC Santa Barbara Athletics Graphic Design Interns will assist in developing and executing creative content that enhances the department’s brand identity, engages fans and promotes UCSB Athletics programs, student-athletes and events. Interns will work on a variety of projects, including designing social media graphics, promotional materials, digital content, in-game graphics and other creative assets used across athletic platforms. Responsibilities may also include collaborating with the Athletic Communications and Marketing staffs, assisting with content creation and completing additional creative projects as assigned. Candidates should demonstrate creativity, strong attention to detail, the ability to work in a fast-paced environment and an interest in sports media and branding. Applicants should also possess advanced-level proficiency in Adobe Photoshop and have experience creating high-quality digital graphics in a collaborative environment. For more information about this opportunity, contact Nick Mathey at Nick.Mathey@athletics.ucsb.edu.
Photography/Videography
Videography and Photography interns will play an integral role in capturing and producing dynamic content for the UC Santa Barbara Athletics Department. Interns will assist in filming UCSB sporting events and producing high-quality visual content for use across digital, broadcast, and promotional platforms.
Responsibilities include shooting and editing footage for weekly highlight packages, television commercials, fundraising campaigns, and social media promotions, as well as organizing and archiving media assets.
Candidates should possess advanced working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite, particularly Adobe Lightroom, Premiere Pro, and After Effects. Ideal applicants are highly creative, detail-oriented, and comfortable working in fast-paced live-event environments with tight deadlines.
In addition to production responsibilities, interns may have the opportunity to further develop their storytelling and journalistic skills in collaboration with the Media Relations Department through player and coach interviews, feature writing, and the creation of long-form video content.
This internship offers hands-on experience in collegiate athletics media production and is ideal for students pursuing careers in sports media, content creation, photography, videography, or digital storytelling.
For more information about the opportunity, contact Nick Mathey at Nick.Mathey@athletics.ucsb.edu.
Development
Working for the Development Office in UC Santa Barbara Athletics (The Gaucho Fund) will allow for interns to gain experience in event management, marketing/sales, and customer relations. Interns will have the opportunity to assist in planning events of all sizes from start to finish and generate revenue for the annual fund, an integral component of the Athletic Department’s success. This position allows individuals frequent contact with donors of every level and therefore interns must be professional, and friendly and represent Gaucho Athletics in a good light. For more information about the opportunity, contact Mia Weber at Mia.Weber@athletics.ucsb.edu.
Game Management
Game management staff will work all home UC Santa Barbara athletic events. They are responsible for making sure that all fans abide by venue policies and help fans with any needs they may have. Job duties include ticket taking, ushering, checking student IDs, and working the player pass list or will call table. Game management staff will gain valuable experience in event management and customer service. For more information about the opportunity contact Emmett Thorpe (emmett.thorpe@athletics.ucsb.edu) or Jayson Simpson (jayson.simpson@athletics.ucsb.edu).
Marketing
Marketing/Promotion interns are the face of UC Santa Barbara Athletics. They interact with fans and the public constantly and therefore must be professional, friendly, and have an enthusiastic attitude for promoting Gaucho athletic events. Marketing/Promotion interns will gain valuable hands-on experience in marketing and fan development and learn the behind-the-scenes of a collegiate athletic event. In the year-long internship interns will work extensively in promoting our ticketed sports through the fall, winter, and spring terms while trying to improve attendance, the game day fan experience, and generate revenue for the Athletic Department. For more information about the opportunity, contact Chris Plasterer at chris.plasterer@athletics.ucsb.edu.
Sports Medicine
The UC Santa Barbara ICA Sports Medicine Internship Program seeks highly motivated students interested in pursuing a career in healthcare. Our program aims to educate students on healthcare practices from a sports medicine perspective through academic, clinician and in-field experiences. Interns will be actively involved in the daily operations of the athletic training clinic and are expected to treat each athletic facility, including side line athletic events, as a workplace.Â
The time commitment for this year-long internship program is 7 hours per week (6 hours in clinic, 1 hour in-service) plus coverage of 2 home events per quarter. Hands-on skills taught during weekly in-services are directly applicable to this internship and are thus required. In-services are at 5pm on Monday (first year interns) and Tuesday (returning interns). Please consider these time requirements before applying.
Applications for the 2026-2027 academic year are currently open and will close September 26th, 2026 at 5pm. Top applications will receive an interview request the week of September 28th and decisions will be sent out by Friday, October 2, 2026.Â
To submit your application or inquire further about the opportunity, contact Sierra Moreno at sierra.moreno@athletics.ucsb.edu. See the application linked here.
For more information about the opportunity, contact Sierra Moreno at sierra.moreno@athletics.ucsb.edu. See the application linked here.
