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By Kristin Jensen
EVANSTON, Ill. -- On Sunday, Oct. 5, junior Caylor Arnold was eating breakfast with the rest of the Northwestern softball team -- a tradition before all home games -- when her phone rang. It was Jerri Lai, director of photography at USA TODAY Sports Images.
One of the photographs Arnold shot the day before, Lai told her, in Northwestern football's win over Wisconsin -- of Godwin Igwebuike's celebration in the end zone -- had been published in the Chicago Tribune. It was Arnold's first publication in a major news outlet. Her jaw dropped. "After that, I quickly ran to 7-Eleven to get my own copy!" she said.
The photograph is now one of three that have appeared in the pages of the Tribune in addition to a handful of others that have been chosen for other online publications. It is an opportunity Arnold received through the athletic department's professional development program, NU For Life, after Lai reached out to program director Julie Dunn Hammer looking for fall interns. An aspiring photographer, Arnold immediately said yes.
So far, the junior catcher has shot the Chicago Bulls Media Day, the 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship, a Chicago Cubs game, and several Northwestern football games under Lai's tutelage. Her favorite moments? Shooting down on Wrigley Field under the lights and standing in the end zone after Northwestern football's win over Wisconsin as the students stormed the field.
"Jerry Lai has taken me under his wing and really immersed me in the photography industry," said Arnold. "I am not only growing as a photographer but as a professional in a demanding work environment."
NU For Life is a unique program designed to provide student-athletes the opportunity to explore professional possibilities by capitalizing on the knowledge and network of former student-athletes, friends of Wildcat Athletics and companies looking to invest in the most talented undergraduates and recent graduates. While many athletic departments offer career development via job fairs and career-related services for student-athletes, NU For Life takes those services a step further with its unique employer outreach component.
"We actively advocate for our student-athletes' skill sets and the Northwestern brand in our community-- locally, nationally and internationally," said Dunn Hammer, the assistant athletic director for career enhancement and employer relations. "Our focus is on connecting student-athletes with companies and individuals who appreciate the student-athlete skill set."
Arnold is one of many softball players who have taken full advantage of the program's benefits, with the squad characterized by Dunn Hammer as "one of the most involved teams." Senior infielder Anna Edwards and redshirt junior pitcher Amy Letourneau both hold positions on the program's advisory committee, and players have not only obtained internships through the program but attended events like Major League Baseball's Diversity Summit and a six-week boot camp on professional etiquette and networking. The team's involvement is a "testament to the team culture the young women have created," says Dunn Hammer. "They understand the importance of having a high professional world IQ and are willing to put in the time to advance that."
For Edwards, it is an internship at Chicago real estate company Harrison Street Real Estate. For Letourneau, it is an internship at DiMeo Schneider & Associates, an investment consulting firm. And for Arnold, who hopes to one day run her own photography business, it is her internship with USA TODAY Sports Images; opportunities all made available through the combination of NU For Life's unique networking program and access to a city like Chicago.
"Being 12 miles north of Chicago is a game changer," said Dunn Hammer. "It opens possibilities for unbelievable internships year round...With so many Northwestern alums in Chicago, it opens new employer relationships and creates a stronger sense of community. When employers are able to see their interns compete, it takes the relationship to another level."
After acting as Arnold's mentor behind the lens, Lai will have the opportunity to see her in action behind the plate when the `Cats return to Sharon J. Drysdale Field in the spring. Until then, the pair will continue to work together on the sidelines of the nation's top sports town. Throughout the remainder of the fall, Arnold is already scheduled to shoot several Northwestern football and men's basketball games, and she will have a place on Soldier Field when the Chicago Bears take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Just last weekend, her shots from inside the University of Iowa's Kinnick Stadium were featured in a post-game gallery on the Tribune's website, and one of her photographs was published on the pages of the paper's sports section.
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