By Jerome Boettcher | George Mason Athletics

Several Sundays this fall, when the basketball schedule has allowed, George Mason redshirt senior Bridget O'Donnell has slipped away to FedEx Field, home of the Washington Redskins, in Landover, Md.

Instead of settling into the seats, though, the 6-foot-6 center is mainly on her feet, constantly on the move.

She's not watching as a fan. She's working.

O'Donnell has served as a public relations intern for the Redskins on game days this fall. Having earned her bachelor's degree in journalism this past May and currently working toward a master's degree in sports management, O'Donnell is getting a chance to experience part of the profession she hopes to one day to be entwined in.

"It has been incredible. I've enjoyed it a lot," she says. "It has been really, really cool. I've met a lot of people. I'm in the press box with a lot of other journalists. I have been able to network with them, meet a lot of people and, just being in that environment on game day, it has been awesome."

O'Donnell, one of 20 local college students working as a public relations intern for the Redskins, provides assistance to the Redskins' media relations department. She arrives three hours before kickoff and leaves several hours after the last fan has exited.

Her responsibilities range from checking in photographers and videographers for field access to running stat sheets after each quarter to all areas of the stadium – TV and radio booths, coaches' boxes and even to the owner's suite. The work doesn't stop after the game, either. She leaves the press box and heads down to the postgame press conferences. Usually there are four – Redskins head coach Jay Gruden, quarterback Kirk Cousins and the opposing team's coach and quarterback.

She records the interviews, then gets to a computer and transcribes the quotes as quickly as possible in order to get them to reporters, who are on deadline.

"I've never had experience in PR before," said O'Donnell, a native of Belle Mead, N.J. "You're sort of the middle man between the journalists and the writers and the press. Making sure everything gets done on time. Knowing when you need to take things into your own hands, when you need to ask questions, not being afraid to ask questions."

O'Donnell says while the internship has opened her eyes to the many intricacies of the profession, she believes it has taught her to trust in her abilities. When she started and a member of the media approached her with a question she was quick to refer them to one of her superiors. Now, as she has gained more experience and grown more confident, she has been able to provide answers.

"I've learned. I know what the answer is," she said. "I'm not afraid to use my own head and know the difference when I should ask somebody higher and when I just need to really use what I've learned and help somebody else."

O'Donnell's first experience with the Redskins came last spring. She got her first taste of the industry during one of the NFL's busiest operations – NFL Draft weekend. She spent three days out at the Redskins headquarters – Redskins Park in Ashburn, Va.

As the team made their picks through the next seven rounds, O'Donnell quickly hurried from the media relations office to the media workroom to press conferences with the general manager and coaching staff to conference calls with the Redskins' newest additions.

"That was my first experience so I was a little nervous about it," she said. "That was interesting because one second you would be sitting around, waiting for the draft pick to be chosen and then the next second the whole office would be running around. That was my first experience recording and transcribing press conferences. So I kind of got my foot in the door with that."

Juggling an internship on top of graduate school and basketball can be daunting for some, but O'Donnell works only on game days. Plus, she said the opportunity with the Redskins offers a break from her busy life of classes and basketball.

"I kind of think it has been an outlet for me, to escape the grind of the season," she said. "(Working the Redskins games) is a really long day – it is a 13-, 14-hour day but it is still an escape to put what I'm learning in school, to apply it to real life, which is different. I'm not working 40-hour weeks. I'm only working part-time. But still it's an escape for me, from basketball."

With the football season winding down, O'Donnell hopes to help out at a couple more games before her basketball season at Mason picks back up after the holiday break. After the basketball season, she might pursue a full-time internship with the Redskins, which consists of 40-hour weeks at Redskins Park to earn college credit.

She also wants to gain experience in other areas. Though she enjoys aspects of public relations, she finds her passion lies in journalism and writing.

"It allows for more creativity I think," said O'Donnell, who is expected to finish her master's degree next December. "PR, you are, I describe it as being a little part of a big web that all works together. As a journalist, it is in your hands and you're able to be more of a free thinker."

The chance to work with professional sports teams, though, has been enlightening. More than just the amount of work that goes into putting on an NFL game, O'Donnell has been amazed at the kindness and genuineness of the people she works with – from the sincerity of her bosses on the media relations staff to events staff knowing her by name to the friendliness from media members, security personnel and the cleaning staff.

That extends to the professional athletes.

O'Donnell said after a press conference after a game Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins walked up to a fan who was a family member of one of the media personnel in the room. He was wearing a Redskins jersey and Cousins came up, shook his hand and asked him if he enjoyed the game.

That moment stuck with O'Donnell.

"This experience has taught me that these are all people, too," she said. "Kirk Cousins is a real human. Gruden is a real human. It has really brought me back down to earth with this whole professional sports thing. It is as not as intimidating as I thought."