HBCU Track & Field Graduate Students Lands NBA Internship

ORLANDO, Fla. – Graduate student Joy Harris of the North Carolina Central University women’s track & field team is spending her summer as part of the NBA HBCU Fellowship Program working with the Orlando Magic.

The Charlotte, N.C. native has already made her way to Orlando to work with the city’s NBA team in the 10-week summer internship that started on June 3 and wraps up on August 9.

“I am so blessed to be afforded this opportunity,” said Harris. “This type of experience comes around once in a lifetime and I am just thankful that they chose me to be a part of such a remarkable program!”

The NBA HBCU Fellowship Program gives undergraduate and graduate students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities career development opportunities in the business of basketball. Fellows are chosen to work with an NBA team or the league office in a specific department such as ticket sales, corporate partnerships, IT, social responsibility, and marketing.

The hammer, javelin, and weight throw specialist works in the Orlando Magic’s human resources department also known as the “People Team” among the Magic staff.

“I have the luxury of assisting with their annual Wellness Day event where they provide various entities for their employees to improve their health holistically,” explained Harris. “I have also been able to create graphics for events and announcements, which has recently become a passion of mine.”

The graduate student is pursuing her master’s degree in kinesiology and anticipates graduating in the fall of 2024 to become an entrepreneur.

“I hope to learn what it takes to be an admirable leader and executive and to make lasting connections that will continue to assist me as I work towards my career,” said Harris. “I plan to pursue a career as a sports medicine physician and become a team doctor for a professional sports team as well as owning a sports medicine clinic.”

With several weeks left of the program, Harris hopes to bridge what she’s learning as an intern with what she’s still learning as a student at NCCU.

“This past semester, as a first-year graduate student at NCCU, I took a course titled Diversity and Cultural Issues that further expanded my knowledge of disparities that people of color and other minorities face in the workplace and when receiving medical care,” explains Harris. “As a result of that class, I have made it a personal mission of mine to ensure that whoever I encounter does not endure discrimination or prejudice. As a People Team fellow, I am tasked with ensuring that our employees are treated fairly and feel comfortable in their work environment.”

Harris becomes the second NCCU student-athlete to be selected for the highly competitive NBA HBCU Fellowship Program.

“We are excited for this opportunity for Joy to work with such a well-known organization as the NBA,” said Kwadjo Steele, Associate AD for Student-Athlete Support. “In Joy’s transition to NC Central, she has made immediate efforts to become a student-athlete leader and maximize her experience. We look forward to following her adventures with this fellowship.”

For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com, or download the NCCU Eagles Athletics app.

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