Journalism student learns professional skills during Paris Olympics

Noah Apodaca spent the summer engrossed in the excitement of the Paris 2024 Olympics from Connecticut, the hub of NBC Sports. 

“I fell in love with Connecticut, the tri-state area up there in New Jersey and New York. I was part of the digital commercial operations team,” says Apodaca, a senior journalism major who was among a select few chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime internship with NBC Sports in July and August. “Primarily our responsibilities were finding quiet moments in a respective sport to insert advertising breaks. Twenty billion minutes were streamed on Peacock on all their platforms. There was on average nearly 30 million viewers per day.”

Apodaca worked with other interns in a high-pressure environment that requires quick thinking while adding commercial breaks to livestreaming sports coverage during Olympic competitions. 

NMSU is among a number of universities partnering with NBCU Academy, collaborating on internships, training and development programs focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. Apodaca was selected for the internship out of a large pool of candidates from universities across the country.

“I was a little nervous going in, but NBC Universal did a really good job at making sure that we felt respected and that there was an environment where we could ask questions. This Olympics was the most streamed event in history so far. That’s a lot of pressure, especially for interns, but my manager Corey Michaels did a fantastic job at making sure that we were set up for success and we had everything we needed.”

Apodaca also credits Darren Phillips, a now-retired NMSU journalism professor, for writing recommendation letters to support his applications. 

“Noah is mature, professional and hardworking,” Phillips says. “He’s one of those rare students who truly understands what it takes to make it in a competitive field like journalism.” 

Apodaca hasn’t decided what he wants to pursue after graduation in 2025. During his senior year, he will be working on The Round Up student newspaper and with the News 22 student broadcast.

“I’m still looking for exactly what I want to do, even after this incredible experience,” Apodaca says. “I would’ve never thought that I would work on one of the biggest sporting events in the world. It all comes down to trusting yourself, taking that leap of faith and seeing where it takes you.”