Frostburg Intern Cassidy Zagone for Redskins' Going for Goal in Her Field

2017 Sep 27

Frostburg State University student Cassidy Zagone, 22, is a diehard Washington Redskins fan with a passion for promoting events. Being the special events and development intern for the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation felt like a dream come true.

"I think this experience is the best thing I've done with my time here at Frostburg," said Zagone, who has a concentration in event planning and a minor in public relations.

Zagone, who is from Silver Spring, Md., took an in-depth look at how a charitable foundation attached to a National Football League franchise works with players, staff, team alumni, donors and community organizations during her summer at Redskins Park in Ashburn, Va.

Zagone was tasked with organizing and executing the silent auction for the 56th Annual Welcome Home Luncheon on Aug. 30, which is the foundation's biggest event of the year. She also was responsible for filing regular reports and an annual report, doing outreach and acquiring silent auction items. She learned that Excel spreadsheets are her friend when it comes to staying organized.

"I really enjoy that they trust me with some of these bigger projects," she said.

The internship has inspired Zagone to pursue event planning career opportunities in sports or with a sports foundation.

"I like that all of our events raise money to benefit amazing programs in our community," she said.

Zagone has parlayed her summer internship to return as a Game Day intern for the foundation in the fall, where she will help with marketing and new strategies for the 50/50 raffle, which benefits the foundation.

In the spring, Zagone also interned for Red Eye Post in Alexandria, Va., through The Washington Center.

That experience allowed Zagone to work on a website, create advertisements and blog for the BET show "Lift Every Voice." The Washington Center opportunity packaged the internship with a leadership course, too.

Being involved at FSU and having a prior internship helped prepare her for a high-profile internship. Zagone is a member of the University Programming Council, where she does event planning, and was in charge of planning Greek Week as the vice president of Greek Council.

"Working with Coop (FSU Director of Student Activities Robert Cooper), every little thing I experienced with UPC, I took away from and used here," she said.