Senior user experience (UX) major Will Heffernan is putting his skills to work at an internship with the Milwaukee Bucks this fall.

Heffernan found out about the opportunity at a career fair held by a local organization he is part of called Graduation Plus, which helps students with the college process—start to finish. The experience is part of the organization’s Milwaukee Bucks Fellowship program. The Bucks partnered with MSOE, Marquette University and Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) to provide students with a unique learning experience, career guidance and exposure to the sports industry.   

As a ticket operations intern, Heffernan’s tasks include managing guest and organization accounts, analyzing sales data, allocating tickets and resolving client questions and complications.

“On game days, I take my work to the Fiserv Forum, where I provide status updates regarding fan experience and resolve any ticketing issues in real time,” said Heffernan. “My favorite part of the internship so far is working [at the Fiserv] on game day. The energy is just electric and feeling the stadium rumble is very exciting.”

His user experience knowledge from his MSOE education is helping him throughout the process as he assesses data and customer pain points to provide solutions to ticket holders. Heffernan is also enjoying applying his knowledge to the sports industry and working with sales and marketing teams at the Bucks to create an overall cohesive user experience.

“One thing that stands out to me about this fellowship is how engaging they are making it for us interns. An amazing dinner was held to kick off the season and it gave us an opportunity to engage with past fellows and better understand the Bucks’ mission. I am grateful for this opportunity, special shoutout to Andre Douglass, Rodrick Cureton and Darian Stephan!”

Heffernan is joined by junior Fabian Hurndon representing MSOE as Milwaukee Bucks Fellows this year.