SAN DIEGO, Calif – Thousands of college students polish their resumes and dive deeper into their sports knowledge in hopes of snatching one of the few internships with professional sports teams.
For San Diego native Andres Mendoza Aguilar, experiencing a summer internship with baseball’s San Diego Padres has scratched his sports itch while also using many facets of his two LSUS business degrees.
The intern in Corporate Partnerships assists in fulfilling marketing agreements with various sponsors while also presenting to and hosting a number of global organizations interested in partnering with the Padres.
“Corporate Partnerships consists of all the connections and relationships that the Padres have with other companies – everything from food and beverage, other services, sponsorships, and signage both in the ballpark and digital representation on television just to name a few,” Mendoza Aguilar said. “I make sure all the activations in various sponsorships are being properly performed, and I’m reviewing contracts and making presentations to our partners about how being affiliated with us can be to their benefit.
“I am really excited to be in this position for a team I grew up cheering for.”
Mendoza Aguilar graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business with a concentration in international business before he pursued a Master of Business Administration with a marketing concentration.
He uses marketing concepts daily, but he’s also been able to put his international business knowledge to the test.
“We have several partnerships with companies in Mexico City, and I’ve also given tours to Japanese organizations interested in seeing the Padres organization and how it’s run,” Mendoza Aguilar said. “I’ve learned a lot about the baseball culture in Japan.
“Sponsorship activation aligns a lot with what I’ve studied in terms of developing a marketing plan and the ability to align a company with what we have to offer. It’s not just contacting random companies, you have to know which companies would want to target our fans who are coming to the ballpark and how that can best be accomplished.”
Mendoza Aguilar has interacted with representatives from companies like Motorola, Qualcomm, US Bank, and Jack in the Box among others.
While Mendoza Aguilar watched the Padres with his family growing up, soccer is what brought him to LSUS from the balmy West Coast.
The midfielder played for three seasons as a Pilot under coach Phillip Bohn as an undergraduate.
“LSUS found me through my MLS Academy team the Nomads and offered me a scholarship,” said Mendoza Aguilar, who started his collegiate career at a junior college. “San Diego has a lot of diversity, but I’ve been able to experience a whole new world and culture in Louisiana.
“It’s opened my eyes to a bigger perspective of how life works. The food, the music, and a different type of culture and diversity has been great to experience in Shreveport.”
After his playing career, Mendoza Aguilar served as a research graduate assistant under Dr. Dalila Salazar, the associate dean in the College of Business.
Salazar helped Mendoza Aguilar land an internship that had around 2,000 applicants.
“I did a little bit of extra work, researched the Padres partners, and came into the interview with questions – that helped me a lot I was told,” said Mendoza Aguilar. “Dr. Salazar played a large role in helping me understand corporate partnerships better, and she’s always been there for me when I needed help.”
His twin loves of sports and marketing are guiding him into a career in sports.
“As a former athlete, I love the competitiveness and being able to see athletes grow,” Mendoza Aguilar said. “That’s my favorite part of the job.
“I want to help create a great environment for entertainment events that allows people to build relationships with families and friends. You can come and forget about your problems for three hours.”
It’d be a dream for Mendoza Aguilar to continue with the Padres after his summer internship ends in late August, but San Diego, a city that lost its football franchise Chargers, is getting another professional sports team this coming year.
Soccer team San Diego FC is set to start as an expansion franchise in Major League Soccer in 2025.
And Mendoza Aguilar will do his homework again.
