Like many students, Thomas Chen went to Florida over spring break. But he never got a chance to hit the beach.

Chen, a junior journalism major, was too busy working his co-op gig for Northeastern's Sports Information office: serving as a liaison between the Huskies baseball team and the media during preseason games in the Sunshine State.

Even though he didn't get to soak up the rays, Chen did get to soak up the ambience during a special occasion: Northeastern's annual exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox.

On the day the Huskies played the Sox, Chen worked alongside the Red Sox public relations professionals. He also helped Sports Illustrated set up a feature story on the event.

Chen's workdays were long. As the Sports Information office's sole representative in Florida, he created media guides, handled web updates, helped compile statistics and distribute them to the media, took photographs, and wrote game-day stories.

The job, he says, required him to be "a jack of all trades."

He says he didn't mind the long hours, though—he got terrific experience and enjoyed working with the baseball team.

"It's a great job, but you have to be dedicated," he says.

Now, for his next co-op, Chen has something even bigger in mind: ESPN.

• E Line Story Index