Ahead of a day packed with global meetings and "coffee chats", Meghan Economos starts her morning on the soccer field, playing a pickup game alongside colleagues at Nike's World Headquarters in Beaverton, Ore. 

Economos, a senior women's soccer student-athlete at Loyola Chicago, always had one constant dream on her vision board: "I want to work at Nike."  

This summer, that dream became reality. 

A double major in marketing and information systems & analytics, Economos spent eight weeks as a Nike global merchandising operations graduate intern. Selected from a pool of thousands of applicants – with an acceptance rate of just 0.28 percent – she joined 200 interns nationwide in one of the sports industry's most coveted experiences. 

Her resume already included stops at the Chicago Cubs, in their ticketing operations and amateur baseball scouting, as well as Loyola Athletics Creative Services team. 

"I wouldn't have gotten the internship without working for Loyola or the Cubs," she said. "Those experiences made all the difference."   

Nike's 400-acre campus felt more like a playground than an office, with numerous athletic facilities, green spaces, and even a lake. Economos embraced it fully – starting her mornings with soccer, breaking for tennis or pickleball at lunch and ending her evenings with beach volleyball.

 

In the office, she worked with Nike Direct's global merchandising team, improving product processes and strengthening collaboration across teams in Greater China, Asia Pacific & Latin America, Europe and North America. 

"One night I'd be on the phone with people in China, and the next day I'd be talking to other teammates in Latin America," she said.

Her passion for soccer aligned perfectly with her closest project team, Nike Global Football.  

"I already know what goes on on the soccer field and what kind of products we want to be putting out," Economos said. "Having the passion elevated my ability to help the team."  

Networking became the heartbeat of her internship. She had five to six coffee chats daily, connecting with employees in design, innovation and finance. Those conversations put her in rooms with color scientists and material designers – moments that reinforced an important lesson. 

"I'll never be the smartest person in the room here," she said. "You're only as great as the people you're around." 

Loyola connections also helped her settle in. Athletics Director Steve Watson linked her with former Ramblers Bob Lukasiewicz and Matthew Jung, who have a combined three decades of Nike experience. They opened doors to high-level meetings and additional contacts.

Her manager and mentor, Jake Gardner, who's been at Nike since 2013 and is now a senior manager of brand merchandising operations, said Economos stood out immediately.  

"Meghan was proactive and engaged," Gardner said. "She reached out to people, showed up prepared and wasn't afraid to ask questions; she was intentional and curious in her pursuit. By the end of the summer, she wasn't just following direction – she was leading her own experience." 

Living away from her hometown of Wheaton, Ill., for the first time, Economos embraced independence and built strong friendships. Gardner even welcomed her into his family's home in nearby Portland.

"I would hang out there for dinner with his two kids," Economos said. "He knew I was far from home and let me know that I was always welcome." 

She also found community in Women of NIKE & Friends (WON), a group dedicated to championing women and their leadership across the company. 

"Nike is the first company to give people like me the voice to excel at what they do," Economos said. "They put so much effort into giving women a platform." 

For Gardner, watching her growth was equally rewarding.  

"By the end, she wasn't just growing in her own skills – she was helping me learn too," he said. "She taught me a lot about myself as a manager, about the work we do, and about what meaningful networking really looks like." 

Economos will carry those lessons forward. On her very first day, a colleague shared advice that stuck with her: "You have to put your best foot forward every day; not everything will be your best, so move on quickly and have confidence in what you're doing."    

As a student-athlete, that message resonated.  

"You're not always going to have your best days," she said. "You have to figure out how to move forward and onto what's next." 

Economos left Nike with mentors, new skills and confidence in her career path. She hopes to return full-time after graduation.

"Forming these connections and staying in touch gives me the confidence to rely on them moving forward – whether it's at Nike or not," she said.

For her, the internship wasn't just a summer job. It was proof that her student-athlete experience had prepared her to compete and contribute at the highest level. Much like on the soccer field, Economos knows success comes down to preparation, perseverance and always putting her best foot forward.