Finding her place in live sports: Caroline Chang ’26 Hands-on experience at Chapman prepared Chang for a World Cup role — and confirmed that live sports is where she belongs.

On match days at SoFi Stadium, Caroline Chang ’26 sometimes woke at 3:30 a.m., boarded a shuttle at 5:30 so she could be on-site by 6. 

As game time approached, she moved throughout the stadium delivering camera sheets, player lineups, and other materials to the production crew. She estimated that she walked about eight miles during a typical match day. 

Chang was the production assistant intern for the FIFA Host Broadcast (HB) Intern Programme at SoFi Stadium. She supported the venue production manager and helped the crew stay on schedule, distributing materials and credentials, and making sure everyone had the equipment they needed. 

The role brought together interests Chang once struggled to connect. 

A lifelong athlete, Chang initially studied cinema but began looking for another way to stay close to sports after an injury. She transferred to Chapman University as a broadcast journalism and documentary major and joined the student-run Chapman Sports Broadcast Network (CSBN). 

CSBN gave her opportunities to try commentating, directing, producing, camera operation and replay. The experience showed her that live production could combine the teamwork she loved in sports with her interest in storytelling. 

Chapman coursework helped prepare her for the pace at SoFi Stadium. In Associate Professor Suzanne Lysak’s “Chapman News” course, students pitch, film, write, produce and edit a live newscast each week. 

“I already understood things they talked about because of what I learned in the classroom and from my professor,” Chang said. “You don’t expect that at all, and then you’re there and think, ‘Wow, I feel like I’ve done this before.’” 

The internship also gave Chang something the classroom could not: daily access to professionals who had worked on major sporting events. She asked them about their careers, unions and the skills they needed to enter the industry. 

Those conversations made her feel more comfortable preparing for her own job search and confirmed that she wants to produce live sports. Her long-term ambition is to produce a Formula One broadcast. 

“Especially after this internship, it really showed me that this is where I want to be,” Chang said.