27 students, grads score internships with Islanders

Summer internships -- even unpaid ones -- are hard to come by these days. But 27 college and post-grad students scored big -- they got internships with hockey's New York Islanders at the Nassau Coliseum.

More than 1,000 people applied, according to team spokesman David Hochman, who said a rigorous selection process then took place. An Islanders' "leadership committee" composed of employees traveled to campuses on the Island and in the metropolitan area to conduct interviews.

Applicants were rated on their understanding of the sports business, GPAs, and whether they would "work hard, be dedicated and passionate," Hochman said.

Mike Porcelli, 21, of Smithtown, a senior accounting major at Hofstra and one of those hired, said he wound up with his dream job. "It's perfect for me," Porcelli said. "I've been a die-hard Islanders fan all my life."

Allison Chin, 21, of Massapequa Park, who just graduated from the University of Delaware, is one of 18 interns who rotate from department to department. She got to design an Islanders T-shirt and jersey. She wants to stay on in the fall. "We bring peoples' passion to life here," Chin said.

Zachary Lyon, 24, of Setauket, who has a semester left at Georgetown Law School, is also rotating among departments. "I'd love to work for the Islanders," Lyon said, even if not as a lawyer. "You've got to do what you want. You walk around here and you see Mike Bossy," the former Islander who was part of the team's four-year reign as Stanley Cup champions in the early 1980s.

Kristin Pellettier, 20, of Holbrook, a student at Ithaca College, is a media intern working on videos. The night and weekend work, she said, does not bother her. "Sports is something you need to be passionate about," she said.