The strategic communications and sport management double major impacted the NHL team with an idea that benefited fans.
When Sasha Barnett ’26 first applied to the New York Islanders summer internship program called IslesU during her sophomore year, she never heard back. But the strategic communications and sport management double major didn’t let that initial rejection deter her and applied again the following year.
The second time around, Barnett received that coveted call: She had been selected as a digital marketing intern for the NHL franchise.
Barnett grew up an Islanders fan, inheriting her love for the team from her father, who grew up on Long Island. Eventually, her love for hockey turned into something more; a persistent goal to someday work for an NHL team. Her family’s shared passion for the franchise made her acceptance all the more special, with Barnett recalling she cried when she landed the position.
“I think part of it was relief but also a little bit of a ‘pinch me’ moment,” the Communications Fellow said.
To avoid added pressure, Barnett kept her application a secret from her parents, hoping that an acceptance would allow her to surprise them. Barnett said her father was speechless when he found out.
“He was obviously really proud of me, and it meant a lot to him that something we bonded over is something that I’m now doing with my career,” Barnett said.
As a digital marketing intern, Barnett primarily worked on building the email and text message promotions distributed to Islanders fans, which inspired an idea.
Every summer, interns in the IslesU program complete an individual project to present at the end of their internship. Barnett chose to create an email sweepstakes for fans who don’t live within driving distance of the Islanders’ arena to help more of the fan base feel included.
Barnett designed a three-email sweepstakes journey that the organization eventually decided to implement and share with fans in late August.
To be entered into the sweepstakes, fans were first asked to complete a survey in which they shared their opinions on the email and text message communications being sent out, as well as the reasons behind their passion for the Islanders organization. Prizes included signed memorabilia and other team merchandise.
“It’s one thing to be able to present something and feel proud of it, but the fact that they used my idea and took it and ran with it was so cool to me,” Barnett said.
One of Barnett’s goals during the internship was to impact the franchise, be it big or small, and through her sweepstakes project she achieved that goal.
“Yes, I did A, B and C on a day-to-day basis, but I also did something that the fans can benefit from,” Barnett said.
Barnett said she also values the day-to-day work she did during her internship because she was learning something new every day and felt as though she was truly part of the organization.
Looking back on her initial rejection from the program, Barnett said she is grateful she didn’t let a “no” stop her from pursuing her passion. Instead, she let it motivate her to try harder the second time around, reaching out to people within the organization to learn more about what they do, and networking as much as possible. She encourages others to do the same, and will always remember her experience working with the Islanders.
“There are going to be a million no’s and a million rejections, but don’t let that stop you from chasing your dreams and ending up where you want to be,” Barnett said.
For the fall semester of her final year at Elon, Barnett accepted another internship with the Islanders until the end of 2025, this time working in corporate strategy.