Laurentian University students collaborate with Adidas in Europe

Students from Laurentian University in Greater Sudbury recently embarked on a trip to Germany to work with the world-renowned sports apparel company Adidas.

The project is an opportunity for fourth-year students to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to the real world.

Gabriella Moggy and Callum Bradshaw were among the 24 LU students recently given a unique opportunity of travelling to Europe to meet with the company’s executives.

“It was honestly, truly such an amazing, amazing experience,” said Moggy.

Bradshaw echoed her sentiment.

“It was really cool when we … heard that we were going to Germany and working with a company as big as Adidas,” he said.

The capstone program is offered to fourth-year students in the school’s Sports Administration Program and each year LU officials said the university partners with a sports organization in a different international market each year.

“Those students act as consultants for four months doing the research, identifying industry trends, and coming up with recommendations,” said program director and associate professor Anthony Church.

”Then I think the best part of the experience is when we travel over to that market, the students will go into the boardrooms of the organizations we're presenting to and make their recommendations and present to them, just as a consultant would.”

In addition to the big presentation, the students also had the chance to visit historical sites and attend a hockey game.

The school said the program is meant to provide hands-on experiences, industry connections and help students’ resumes stand out.

In previous years, students have travelled to China and the U.S. with the trips primarily funded from contributions made by Laurentian alumni.

“It was just a really cool opportunity to experience different culture, see different work culture as well,” said Bradshaw.

“Then just to have a really, really cool project with a massive company.”

Both Bradshaw and Moggy told CTV News that it was a trip that they will not soon forget.

“It was like it was finally nice to see, like, everything we've been working so hard on, like, come to life,” said Moggy.

“All our skills that we've learned throughout our four years being put to use and what it's actually going to be like now once we graduate … like in the real world.”

Church said the next destination for the capstone program will be Las Vegas in March.