Who Painted That Crosswalk? How About a Swimmer from SMU

University’s internship program prepares athletes for post-graduation transition

SMU swimmers are making waves outside the pool this summer as interns for the city of University Park.

Four members of the Mustang men’s and women’s swim teams are working at the city through SMU’s Life After Ball program, which aims to assist athletes with their post-graduation transition from sports to the professional world.

The Life After Ball program was limited to football when it began at SMU in 2018. It expanded in 2022 to include other sports. This summer, 47 student-athletes have Life After Ball internships in fields including finance, law, sports, engineering, technology, marketing, and commercial real estate, said Lisa Rawlins, SMU’s associate athletic director for student-athlete success.

The swimmers interning with the city of UP have done everything from providing an extra set of hands during busy times at the library, to examining the salaries of city employees and shadowing road-safety workers. Their hours at the city, they said, have flown by compared to the monotony of swimming laps in the pool.

“When you’re swimming two hours at a high intensity, time just doesn’t go,” Rob McCall, an intern with UP’s Human Resources Department, said. “But working here, it’s such a nice experience. … You’re like, ‘Oh, that’s it?’ And then you get excited to come back for the next day.”

McCall recently took time off to compete in the backstroke at the Olympic Trials in Indianapolis. He and UP’s other interns said the time management skills that have earned them accolades in the pool have also served them well at the city. 

“My work ethic from being an athlete at SMU has been work as hard as you can, and then ask questions when you need to,” McCall said. “So, I feel like that has been helping them out a lot, too.”

McCall’s teammate, electrical engineering student Mark Van Eybergen, is interning with the city’s Public Works Department. He’s shadowed employees inspecting new construction and taking meter readings, researched fire codes and parking problems, and even helped paint a crosswalk.

As an intern in the marketing and communications department, incoming junior Kirsten Schlortt helped plan details of UP’s participation in the Park Cities Fourth of July parade, as well as assisted in designing a safety course for young e-bikers. 

“I really appreciate how much faith they have in me. And I’m working really hard at doing that,” she said. “But that really shocked me, the amount of freedom.”

Schlortt said the internship, and especially her work after a major storm hit the city on May 28, has taught her how to better communicate with others. “Kindness is key,” she said. “Staying calm in a situation and just reassuring everybody is super-amazing. And I think I’m definitely going to take that away in my future career.”

UP’s partnership with Life After Ball has been a great experience that has “brought fresh perspectives” to the city, Community Information Officer Paige Ruedy said. 

It’s also given the students an inside look at what it takes to make a city function. Eybergen said he’s been impressed by both “the insane amount of work that goes into the background of the city,” and by how UP’s staff treats each other along the way. 

“Everybody is super nice, super hardworking, and they all just get along very well. They’re all friends,” he said. “It’s cool to see that.”