NHS Student ‘Sports’ A New Internship

By Eliza Hallabeck

As a senior at Newtown High School Jimmy Zarifis IV has liked sports his whole life, and now, through an internship, he is applying his working toward a career in the sports management field.

“I just said I wanted something to do with sports or sports memorabilia,” said Jimmy, “because I’m going into sports management as a major.”

Jimmy said he was interested in the internship program last year, but when he went to the high school’s Career Center to apply, he had missed the year’s deadline.

Jimmy said Peg Ragaini with the school’s Career Center told him he would be a priority on the list of students for an internship this year.

Since early November, Jimmy said every Saturday he has been working toward spending 30 hours at BC Sports in the Danbury Fair Mall under the supervision of Manager Chris England. He said he is planning for the internship to be over on December 20.

“I go in with questions all the time,” said Jimmy, “and he gives me answers.”

 Jimmy said he thought the internship would be a good experience when he applied for one. “At the time I knew it would help me with college.”

Jimmy applied to, and has been accepted at, the University of New Haven, after attending a College Fair at NHS. Jimmy said his father, Jimmy Zarifis III, saw that the school offered sports management as a major.

“Exactly what I wanted,” said Jimmy. 

He has been the manager for the high school baseball team for his sophomore, junior, and senior years. He was also his class president for his sophomore and junior year at the school, and he said he recently started an after school club for students who wish to play Four-Square.

Baseball is his favorite sport, but he had to stop playing in 2002 when medulloblastoma, a disease where benign or malignant cancer cells form in the brain, and a brain tumor put an end to his participation. Instead he has concentrated his interest in sports in creating a website, Jimbosports.com, which is updated weekly with videos, sports news, and music downloads.

Jimmy had been playing baseball with his father since he was 3 or 4, he said.

When he heard about the internship program at NHS from students in older grades, he went to the Career Center and spoke to Ms Ragaini. “She did everything,” Jimmy said, regarding setting up the internship.

So far Jimmy said the internship has been interesting. “Mr England just taught me how customer service is really key,” said Jimmy.

His father has been helping him come up with some of the questions he brings with him to the internship, Jimmy said. His mother, Elizabeth Zarifis, has been the primary driver every Saturday. Jimmy also two younger siblings, Steven and Michelle.

“They’ve been really supportive,” Jimmy said about his family.

The internship, Jimmy said, has really prepared him for what he wants to do. Jimmy said he has already checked, and the University of New Haven offers internships in the area, including an option to intern at ESPN.

“I would actually like to own my own sports memorabilia store,” said Jimmy, who collects baseball cards. He said he likes “basically anything Yankee.”

Completing his internship, he said, has helped him understand what he is going into. His mentor, Mr England, has been helping him to know where to information, how to understand fake memorabilia from real memorabilia, among other things.

“I feel it’s very helpful,” said Jimmy, regarding his internship. “You get to see what you are going to do.”