From Hockey Analytics to the NFL: Presbyterian College graduate lands internship with the Green Bay Packers

When Vanessa Palisin finally received the phone call she had been waiting for, the Presbyterian College senior had already submitted 272 job applications.

She tracked every one of them in an Excel spreadsheet.

Then, during the week before Easter, came the breakthrough: a one-year paid internship with the Green Bay Packers — one of the National Football League’s most storied organizations.

“I received the acceptance call the Wednesday before Easter,” Palisin said. “So, I was thankful enough to go home and be able to tell my family in person.”

For Palisin, who graduated summa cum laude with honors in business administration on May 9 and was named one of Presbyterian College’s co-valedictorians for the Class of 2026, the opportunity represents the culmination of four years spent blending academic rigor, analytical research, and a lifelong love of sports into a clear professional path.

It also marks the next step in a journey that began long before college.

“I was around ice skating and hockey before I could even walk,” she said.

An Undergraduate Project That Opened Door

Palisin first drew attention this spring through her honors research examining player performance trends surrounding NHL contracts, a project that combined statistical modeling, machine learning, and sports data analytics to challenge common assumptions about athlete motivation and productivity.

The project earned first place in the undergraduate paper competition at the Southeast Decision Sciences Institute conference in Jacksonville, Fla., while also helping distinguish her during the Packers’ interview process.

“They were definitely attracted to it,” Palisin said. “I incorporated machine learning into my honors research.”

That experience proved especially relevant because the Packers organization is actively exploring ways to integrate machine learning and advanced analytics into its operations.

“They currently have two interns in my position,” she said. “One whom I will be basically replicating, and another one who they’re using machine learning with. They’re trying to add it to the organization.”

For Palisin, the connection between her undergraduate work and professional opportunity reinforced the value of the research-intensive education she received at Presbyterian College.

“I’m truly so grateful for PC’s business department,” she said. “They have shaped my four years here in ways that I couldn’t even imagine coming in as a freshman.”

She specifically credited faculty mentors, including Dr. Suzie Smith ’82, the Robert M. Vance Professor of Business Administration, along with the college’s accounting and business faculty, for helping prepare her for professional analytics work at the highest level of sports.

Turning Classroom Theory Into Real-world Analytics

Palisin’s internship will focus on merchandising and business analytics, giving her the opportunity to work across multiple departments within the Packers organization.

According to Palisin, the analytics structure within the organization is highly collaborative, with departments centralized through operations at Lambeau Field.

“The department that I’m going to be working with is the backbone to a bunch of that,” she said.

The role will place her inside a data-rich environment where analytics directly influence operational and business decisions — something she said mirrors the lessons she learned while conducting her honors research.

“I truly thought that players, after signing their initial contract, they would decline in production value,” she said. “And then once I got in there and sat through months and months of organizing my data, manipulating it, analyzing it, it was the complete opposite of what I initially thought.”

That experience taught her not to rely on assumptions and to let the data guide conclusions — a mindset increasingly critical in modern sports organizations.

“It’s one of those things where you think you have an understanding of it,” she said. “And then once you finally get inside exploring the data, working with the numbers, what you think might be the complete opposite.”

Palisin said her time at PC helped prepare her not only technically, but professionally, by giving her hands-on opportunities to tackle complex projects independently.

“Being able to have that project, I’m sure, is only a glimpse of what I’m going to take in the future,” she said. “But I’m very excited.”

From South Carolina to Titletown

The move to Wisconsin will represent a dramatic transition for Palisin, a South Carolina native whose parents eventually settled in Myrtle Beach after growing up in colder northern climates.

“My dad grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and my mom grew up a little outside of Buffalo, New York,” she said. “So, they understand what I’m getting myself into.”

That includes preparing for winters far harsher than anything she has experienced in the South.

“I think everyone’s preparing me for the worst,” she said with a laugh. “Snowstorms, ice storms and all.”

Still, Palisin said she has been struck by the strong sense of community surrounding both the Packers organization and the city of Green Bay itself.

The similarities, she said, remind her of Presbyterian College’s close-knit culture.

“The Packers are very community-oriented,” she said. “Being owned by their community and the public, it’s kind of similar to PC almost.”

While researching housing options, she was fascinated by how deeply the team is woven into the everyday life of the city.

“The stadium is truly in the center of a residential area,” she said. “These people were just walking out of their backyards and going to support their team.”

Unlike professional franchises located in massive metropolitan centers, Green Bay’s relationship with the Packers feels personal and deeply rooted in local identity.

“These people feel like the Packers are not just the team they root for, but their team,” she said.

Looking Toward a Future in Sports

Although the internship has a defined one-year term, Palisin hopes the experience will serve as a launching point for a long-term career in sports analytics and operations.

She is especially excited about gaining experience not only in analytics, but also in game-day operations and organizational coordination.

“Analytics, it is very behind the scenes,” she said. “But you also need to get connected with operations just to truly understand where your numbers are coming from.”

The experience may also help her determine where she ultimately wants to build her career — whether in northern sports markets or closer to home in the Southeast.

“I know I want to stay in sports,” she said. “But I’m excited to see once I get this experience and figure out where God and my heart are pushing me towards.”

For now, though, Palisin is preparing for the next chapter — one that carries her from a small liberal arts college in Clinton, S.C., to the headquarters of one of the NFL’s most recognizable franchises.

It is a leap made possible through persistence, research, mentorship, and a willingness to follow both curiosity and passion.

And it all started with a spreadsheet, 272 applications, and a student who refused to give up.