Get to Know the 500 Festival Interns for 2025!

We’re excited to introduce the 2025 class of interns who will be contributing their talents to the 500 Festival this year! These 11 students bring unique skills that will help shape the success of our upcoming festivities throughout the Month of May. With their enthusiasm and dedication, they’re ready to make a positive impact on the Indianapolis community.

During their time with us, the interns will get an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the Month of May in Indianapolis. It’s a fantastic opportunity for them to join a professional team and be part of something truly special.

To learn more about the 500 Festival Intern Program, visit: 500Festival.com/Intern

Olivia Brawley, Youth Program Intern 

College/University: Indiana University 

Hometown: Greenwood, Indiana 

What do you enjoy doing in your free time? I enjoy watching movies, reading, and playing cards. 

What are you hoping to gain from your internship with the 500 Festival? I hope to gain hands-on experience in events and develop professionally in event management. 

Career/Future Goals: My future career goal is to work in event management for a sports organization. 

What is one skill you hope to develop or improve during this internship? I hope to develop my communication skills. 

What 500 Festival event are you looking forward to most? I am most looking forward to the Rookie Run. 

Lucas DeVerna, Mini-Marathon, Miler Series, and Memorial Service Intern

College/University: University of Florida 

Hometown: Long Island, New York 

What do you enjoy doing in your free time? In my free time I enjoy watching sports like baseball, football, and basketball. Especially the Mets and the Gators. 

What are you hoping to gain from your internship with the 500 Festival? I am hoping to get a challenging experience that will allow me to grow professionally and learn the steps involved to put on events. I also hope to make connections with the 500 Festival staff and other interns. 

Career/Future Goals: My goal is to work in event management for a professional or collegiate sports organization. 

What is one skill you hope to develop or improve during this internship? One skill I hope to improve on through this internship is problem-solving. Large scale events always come with challenges, so I want to develop my ability to be adaptable and come up with effective solutions. 

What 500 Festival event are you looking forward to most? I am most excited for the IU Health 500 Festival Mini-Marathon and Delta Dental 500 Festival 5k. 

Jamie Faas, Volunteer Program Intern 

College/University: Indiana University Bloomington 

Hometown: Carmel, Indiana 

What do you enjoy doing in your free time? I enjoy hanging out with friends, going on walks, reading, and watching sports and movies. 

What are you hoping to gain from your internship with the 500 Festival? I hope to gain more hands-on experience in the event field, further develop my skills and knowledge, and expand my network. I also want to strengthen my communication skills to effectively work with others. 

Career/Future Goals: I want to work in the sports side of events and become an Event Manager for a sports team or sports company. 

What is one skill you hope to develop or improve during this internship? I want to improve upon my communication skills both in person and over email/phone. 

What 500 Festival event are you looking forward to most? I am looking forward to all the events this season but if I had to pick an event­, I would say the IU Health 500 Festival Mini-Marathon or the AES 500 Festival Parade. 

Elena Hyre, Digital Marketing Intern 

College/University: Butler University 

Hometown: Denver, Colorado 

What do you enjoy doing in your free time? In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my friends and family. 

What are you hoping to gain from your internship with the 500 Festival? I am hoping to gain organizational skills and build a strong professional network. 

Career/Future Goals: In the future, I hope to lead a team in brand or marketing strategies.  

What is one skill you hope to develop or improve during this internship? One skill I hope to develop is learning how to strategically engage and analyze audiences through various platforms.  

What 500 Festival event are you looking forward to most? I am most looking forward to the Mini-Marathon. 

Zackary Levitt, AES 500 Festival Parade, 500 Festival Princess Program, and 500 Festival Kickoff to May Intern 

College/University: The Pennsylvania State University, College of the Liberal Arts 

Hometown: Wayne, New Jersey 

What do you enjoy doing in your free time? I enjoy attending sporting events, especially NY Giants and Yankees games, as well as staying active through fitness. I’m also passionate about giving back to the community through volunteer work and outreach programs.  

What are you hoping to gain from your internship with the 500 Festival? I hope to gain hands-on experience in large-scale event planning, from logistics and coordination to execution. Working alongside industry professionals and volunteers, I want to develop my organizational skills, learn how to manage event operations efficiently, and understand the behind-the-scenes work that brings major events to life. 

Career/Future Goals: I aspire to build a successful career in event management, focusing on planning and executing large-scale events that create meaningful experiences. I aim to develop strong leadership, organizational, and problem-solving skills while gaining expertise in operations, logistics, and audience engagement. Ultimately, I want to work in a dynamic environment where I can bring people together and make a lasting impact through well-executed events. 

What is one skill you hope to develop or improve during this internship? I want to strengthen my ability to manage large-scale events by refining my organizational, planning, and logistical skills. Specifically, I hope to gain hands-on experience in coordinating event operations, managing volunteers effectively, and ensuring seamless execution from start to finish. 

What 500 Festival event are you looking forward to most? I’m most excited about the AES 500 Festival Parade because it offers a unique opportunity to be deeply involved in every aspect of event production. From planning and logistics to execution, I look forward to gaining hands-on experience in coordinating such a large-scale event and seeing all the moving parts come together on parade day. 

Mairin McCarthy, Communications Intern 

College/University: Butler University  

Hometown: Onekama, Michigan 

What do you enjoy doing in your free time? I enjoy staying active, spending time with friends, exploring Indianapolis.  

What are you hoping to gain from your internship with the 500 Festival? In this role, I aim to gain practical experience in public relations and communications, enhancing my skills in writing, media relations, and event promotion. 

Career/Future Goals: Communications and Public Relations Specialist  

What is one skill you hope to develop or improve during this internship? I strive to improve my ability to write engaging press materials, social media content, and other promotional copy. 

What 500 Festival event are you looking forward to most? I’m excited to cheer on the participants of the IU Health 500 Festival Mini-Marathon and the Delta Dental 500 Festival 5K! 

Ben Morgan, Course Entertainment, Breakfast at the Brickyard, and Post Race Party Intern 

College/University: Purdue University 

Hometown: Whiteland, Indiana 

What do you enjoy doing in your free time? In my free time, I enjoy playing pickup soccer and pickleball with my friends. During the summer when it is warm, I love to go to hikes and walks with my family and our two adorable puppies, Mac & Hattie. 

What are you hoping to gain from your internship with the 500 Festival? I am hoping to gain valuable hands-on experience in event operations and meet new people. 

Career/Future Goals: I would love to one day work for my favorite soccer team, Manchester United! I would also love to work for a nonprofit in the environmental & sustainability sector. 

What is one skill you hope to develop or improve during this internship? Networking is a big one for me! I’m looking forward to meeting new people in the industry and building lasting relationships that will help me in my future career. 

What 500 Festival event are you looking forward to most? I’m most excited about the Mini-Marathon! I can’t wait to see all the amazing course entertainers along the route, it’s such a fun part of the event. 

Emma Neargardner, Mini-Marathon Expo & Kids’ Day Intern 

College/University: University of Indianapolis, Graduate 

Hometown: Marion, Indiana 

What do you enjoy doing in your free time? I enjoy spending time with family, traveling, and reading. 

What are you hoping to gain from your internship with the 500 Festival? I hope to be able to engage in multiple networking opportunities as well as gain hands-on experience when it comes to event planning and operations. 

Career/Future Goals: Explore the field of operations and find my niche within it! 

What is one skill you hope to develop or improve during this internship? I hope to improve my communication and networking skills. 

What 500 Festival event are you looking forward to most? Kids’ Day! After working on the backend planning for this event, I’m excited to see it all come together in May. 

Hannah Smith, Customer Relations and Ticketing Intern 

College/University: Indiana University Bloomington 

Hometown: Evansville, Indiana 

What do you enjoy doing in your free time? I enjoy reading and playing video games! 

What are you hoping to gain from your internship with the 500 Festival? I hope to gain valuable work experience, connections, and more confidence in myself and my abilities.  

Career/Future Goals: My career goals are to work in the sports industry in ticketing, operations, or marketing! 

What is one skill you hope to develop or improve during this internship? One skill I hope to develop or improve is my customer service skills so I can help improve the experience at our events!  

What 500 Festival event are you looking forward to most? The 500 Festival event that I am looking forward to the most is the Mini-Marathon! I am so excited to see everyone’s hard work come to life!

Jenna Smith, Graphic Design Intern 

College/University: Purdue University – Indianapolis 

Hometown: Plainfield, Indiana 

What do you enjoy doing in your free time? In my free time I love to paint and watch sitcom tv shows.  

What are you hoping to gain from your internship with the 500 Festival? I am hoping to learn how to bring my graphic design abilities into a work setting. This is my first full time opportunity to learn how my skills are used in the workplace and I am excited to learn all I can.  

Career/Future Goals: Part of my degree is concentration in themed attractions. My hope is that I will eventually work for a theme park, or a themed ride manufacturer so I can put my knowledge of ride design and graphic design together. Another option that I would love is to work in TV with CGI, effects, and prop design.  

What is one skill you hope to develop or improve during this internship? I hope to really develop my illustrator skills so I can be on a proficient level. I have only taken one class in Adobe Illustrator, so I hope to become as proficient in Illustrator as I am in Photoshop.  

What 500 Festival event are you looking forward to most? I am really looking forward to Breakfast at the Brickyard, because I was able to contribute to designing the lapel pin. It will be exciting to see my design being worn. 

Nick Valentino, Operations Logistics Intern 

College/University: SUNY Alfred State College 

Hometown: Tonawanda, New York 

What do you enjoy doing in your free time? Spending time in the outdoors. 

What are you hoping to gain from your internship with the 500 Festival? Through this experience, I hope to gain insight into what it truly takes to put on the Month of May in Indianapolis. I want to learn what it’s like to deal with obstacles that an event operations team might face. I want to know how to manage large-scale events with a small core of employees. I want to learn what it takes to be successful in the event industry. 

Career/Future Goals: After my time here in Indianapolis, I strive to take the next step into my career, and into the sport business industry. Hopefully finding work in professional sports as an event manager. 

What is one skill you hope to develop or improve during this internship? One skill I hope to develop is how to get the most out of teamwork and what it takes to cultivate an effective and efficient group. I also hope to improve my networking skills during this time. 

What 500 Festival event are you looking forward to most? I am looking forward the most to the Mini-Marathon.