LU junior spends summer building her skills, network
On the second day of her summer internship with the Detroit Tigers, 51ĀŅĀ× junior Arfee (Ah-fee) Edwards found herself on the field at Comerica Park pre-game chatting with some players.
She said to one, āGood luck today. What position do you play?ā
He paused, looking surprised.
āHe was shocked that I didnāt know who he was,ā said Edwards of her meeting with Tigersā ace pitcher Tarik Skubal. As in 2024 American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, the starting pitcher for the AL in this summerās All-Star Game and the leading candidate to win the Cy Young award again this season.
āI said, āWell, Iām Arfee ā¦ I work here,āā Edwards said.
She ended up with a signed baseball from her new friend, which has become a prized possession.
Chalk it up as one of many memories from her summer working as a game day staff member focusing on fan engagement for the Tigers, who are enjoying a solid season and packing in fans.
For Edwards, a sport management & leadership major from Bayfield, Wis., the experience helped her gain academic credit toward her degree (she earned four credits this summer) as well as skills for a job working in sports.
Initially, Edwards planned to spend the summer working in Sheboygan, but she started applying for roles on teamworkonline.com, a popular job site for pro and college sports roles, and landed two interviews, including the Tigers.
āI didnāt really know anything about baseball,ā Edwards said. āIt was shocking because I didnāt realize the Tigers were a major league baseball team. The more I learned, I was like, āWow, this is huge.āā
She started working in May in a variety of roles, including supervising and training volunteers that sell 50-50 raffle tickets, choosing fans who get their seats upgraded during the game, walking guests down to the field post-game and a variety of other interactions with fans.
She always arrived at the ballpark early, often making her way onto the field, introducing herself and talking to the players. Tigersā third base coach/veteran MLB player Joey Cora would always say hello. āHe calls me coffee, because I would say, āMy name is āah-feeā like coffee,āā Edwards said.
āI did not expect how welcoming everyone was,ā she said. āDetroit isnāt always known as a big and bright place. I loved it. The amount of people I connected with on LinkedIn was awesome. The people I met, the people behind the scenes, I always asked how their day was and kept connecting with them.ā
Edwards made a positive impact on the field and with her supervisors. She won an employee award for the first two weeks of July, receiving a custom-made baseball bat signed by Tigersā slugger and first baseman Spencer Torkelson.
The Tigers have already talked to her about returning next summer, and she hopes to work in the premium membership area and the Tigers Club.
This summer was Edwardsā second taste of working in a pro sports setting, the first coming in April when she was part of the Lakeland volleyball team that worked the NFL draft in Green Bay.
There she met Cynthia Frelund, a TV sports analyst for the NFL Network and Colleen Wolfe, an on-air talent for the NFL Network. Frelund mentioned that she was from Detroit and offered to meet with Edwards during the summer. The two had lunch at the end of June and Frelund gave her a tour of Ford Field, the home of the Detroit Lions.
The diversity of the workforce at the draft inspired Edwards. āThere were so many females and people of color working there, and a lot of them were higher up,ā she said.
One thing Edwards is not is shy. Sheās always introducing herself and adding people her contact list.
She attributes her inquisitive nature to her childhood. Edwards was born in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, in western Africa. She was raised in an orphanage and adopted at the age of 4 by her parents, Tim Edwards and Heidi Goehring.
āI had so many unknowns growing up,ā Edwards said. āI always had that why, why me. It stems from my adoption and wanting to know more. When I was at the orphanage I got selected, but why me? Why was I selected? Why did I get this opportunity? If I had done something different, would I not have gotten it?
āI love meeting and talking to people. I want to hear their why.ā
Edwards, who also serves as a Blue & Gold Champion at Lakeland and works in the weight room and the Campus Shop, initially was interested in being a physical education teacher. Her Lakeland experience has her on the pro sports career path with the goal of one day working for the Detroit Lions.
āI always wanted to be in the sports realm,ā Edwards said. āThe classes Iāve taken here and the number of departments Iāve worked with have been eye opening for me. My career path changed along with the ideas I can do. I want to help out and give back.ā
