Nyberg preps for internship of lifetime

Moving to Los Angeles and working in close quarters with major celebrities seems like a plot pulled straight from an MTV reality show.

However, for senior business/communication major and journalism minor Kelly Nyberg, it will be a reality. The Viking football and basketball cheerleader and Sioux Falls native will spend an entire summer working with Entertainment Tonight's production crew in the tape vault along with eight to 10 other interns.

Nyberg is the only intern not from the Los Angeles area. She will have the opportunity to attend celebrity interviews, shoots to observe and hopes to be lucky enough to tag along with the production crew to the Emmys. She is guaranteed to work two to five days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., June through August.

So, just how does a Lincoln High School graduate from Sioux Falls land the internship of a lifetime?

"My biggest dream for the last four years was to be on Entertainment Tonight," Nyberg said. "Ever since I found out that Mary Hart went to school at Augustana, I watched Entertainment [Tonight] more." Hart has been the host of Entertainment Tonight for 27 years and is a 1972 Augustana alumna.

Nyberg talked to her parents about her dreams but didn't know where to begin. Her father, Kevin, mentioned her aspirations to Pam Miller, director of development, an Augustana football game.

Miller and Nyberg became acquainted, and Miller contacted the Entertainment Tonight office to find out who to contact and if they took interns. After receiving information from the internship coordinator, Nyberg sprang into action, finding out how to get an interview.

"My involvement in PRSSA [Public Relations Student Society of America] as the president last school year was one of the main things they asked me about," Nyberg said.

Up until this internship opportunity, Nyberg's life has been consumed by cheerleading and gymnastics. As an eighth-grader, she competed on the varsity team at Lincoln High School. However, an injury that same year caused her to shy away from gymnastics and move into cheerleading.

During her sophomore, junior and senior years of high school ,Nyberg was a cheerleader for the basketball teams. She also participated in Champion Cheer and Dance All-Stars (CCDA) during her freshman through junior years.

"With any other sport you concentrate on one element," Nyberg said. "But with cheerleading you can combine gymnastics, dance, stunting and cheering."

During her first year of college, Nyberg participated on the dance team but moved quickly back into cheerleading during her sophomore, junior and now senior year for both football and basketball.

"She sacrifices to make the team better," said Augustana alumna Jessica Rowell, who was captain of the cheer team for two of Nyberg's cheer seasons with the Vikings. "As a teammate she was very personable. I valued her opinions."

This year's captain feels the same way. "Kelly is a really vital part of the team with her tumbling experience," said senior Megan Kennedy, one of the cheer captains for the Vikings. "She has a lot of heart and is always willing to try new things."

Nyberg said competitive cheerleading is the kind she enjoys most. The last two years Nyberg has also participated on the Collegiate Midwest Dance Center (MDC) team. The level of competition is a "Level Six Open Team," which Nyberg says gives the team free range to do pretty much anything, even stunts illegal in college cheerleading. The team placed first last year in Minneapolis.

Not only does she participate in cheerleading, but Nyberg also coaches teams and teaches tumbling lessons at CCDAin Sioux Falls for children ages 3-18. Her students compete from November to March.

"We usually try to stay within the region," Nyberg said. "Every few years we do big trips. This year our high school team is going to Long Beach, Calif."

Along with cheerleading and gymnastics, Nyberg has been involved in community theater and the summers before and during sophomore year and the following summer during college, she worked at Hot 104.7 as the 12-6 radio DJ on Sundays. She found it to be not as challenging, so she began thinking about Entertainment Tonight.

Nyberg's current challenge is looking for housing in the Los Angeles area. Between the Career Center and the alumni network, Nyberg feels she should be able to find affordable, safe housing.

"She is completely undaunted by challenges," Miller said.

Nyberg's dedication and confidence is evident. "I have not even thought about looking for a job in Sioux Falls for after my internship is done," Nyberg said. "I am hoping this internship will open up some national doors for me."