PSY Undergrad Internship Spotlight: Kaylie Wright

August 27, 2024 - Shelly DeJong

The Department of Psychology is proud to celebrate our undergraduate psychology majors who interned this summer across the country!  

Meet Kaylie Wright, a senior psychology major and student athlete for the MSU rowing team. This summer, Kaylie interned as a summer coach where she got hands-on experience applying her psychology education to athletics. Read on to learn more about Kaylie's internship, her experience as a student athlete, and what advice she has for other student athletes. 

 

Where did you intern and what do they do there? 

I interned as an assistant coach with a nonprofit rowing club in Richmond, VA called River City Crew. As the summer coach, I was responsible for continuing the training of varsity rowers and running Learn-to-Row programs for beginners interested in learning about rowing. 

I rowed for RCC in high school, and they have helped me get to where I am today at Michigan State. This is my 4th year working as a coach with RCC and I have been offered the chance to take over as head coach next year after I graduate. 

 

What did you like most about your internship?  

My favorite part of my internship was working with novice, Learn-to-Row athletes and watching them enjoy the process of learning about one of the most difficult sports to play. I also held a race at the end of each Learn-to-Row session, so the athletes had something to work towards during the program, Watching the novices learn how to push each other and want to win their race was one of my favorite parts of coaching.  

 

How has your psychology education prepared you for this internship? 

My psychology background helped me give my athletes certain tools to help them with the mental battle that comes with preforming, especially with the 2x that I took to nationals. Using what I have learned to help the athletes compete to the best of their ability has been a cool and rewarding experience.  

 

How does psychology impact you as an athlete personally?  

Psychology has played a huge role in my career as a student-athlete. Playing a sport is just as mentally challenging as it is physically challenging, so using psychology to help redirect anything negative that can come with competing at a high level into something positive and motivating has made the biggest impact throughout my experience. 

 

Any advice for student athletes coming to MSU on how to balance the two roles?  

One piece of advice that I would give to athletes coming to MSU when it comes to balancing school and athletics would be to prioritize self-care and to get involved with people or activities that don't involve your major and your sport during your free time. 

 

Do you have advice for others looking for an internship? 

The biggest piece of advice that I can give to someone looking for an internship is to find something that you love doing. I am a firm believer in finding a career that makes you happy, so find something you love and have fun with it! 

 

What are your hopes for the future? 

My hope for the future is to become the head coach of RCC to continue improving as a coach and a leader, as well as continuing my education in sports psychology.