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Morgan Bergman, a senior communication major with a corporate communication specialization at ��������Ƶ, completed a 2019 summer internship with the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation.

During her internship Morgan was able to #BreakTheIce with the EMBRACElet project.

“#BreakTheIce was a campaign aimed to destigmatize mental health and open up a conversation about it,” Morgan said. “EMBRACE is a movement by Citrone 33 Foundation. The Foundation invests in education, health and human services to improve quality of life for all.”

Morgan worked with other interns to create a wristband that includes the hashtag Break the Ice. Each attendee of the Jan. 5, 2020 game against the Florida Panthers received two wristbands.

“A person receiving the bracelet is supposed to give the other out to someone to '#BreakTheIce' and start a conversation with them about mental health,” Morgan said.

"When interning there I saw and did a lot of things I have learned in a majority of my classes, which helps reinforce everything."

A card included with the bracelet contained this message: “You have just received a #BreaktheIce wristband. As a member of our community, we encourage you to start the conversation about mental health by sharing a personal or inspirational story with others using the #BreakTheIce and #HockeyTalks on Instagram and Twitter. Don’t let the conversation end on social media. Please share this second wristband with someone you care about, and let’s talk about mental health and wellness.”

“Coming up with the idea, pitching the idea, generating the bracelet, and coming up with the card was a long process but definitely a rewarding one,” Morgan said.

Morgan discovered that you have to do a little bit of everything when working with the foundation. “When interning there I saw and did a lot of things I have learned in a majority of my classes, which helps reinforce everything.”

Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation (PPF) interns also work on social media. Morgan created posts on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. "Mine were definitely some of the cheesier ones,” she admitted. The internship led Morgan to other opportunities. She enjoyed serving as a volunteer for the 3rd Annual Night of Assists auction.

“The Penguins organization as a whole tries to get all the interns in the different departments together to get to know each other,” Morgan said. At one event, interns were challenged to create an initiative the Penguins could use. Morgan's group won with an idea on how to get fans to come early or stay late to games.

“I absolutely love the PPF and everything they do,” Morgan said. “They are amazing people and the people they support are just as amazing. By working there you are able to make an impact, whether it is on the fans, families from the nonprofits they support, youth hockey players, or just the organization in general.” 

Morgan is looking forward to her next internship with the Gufi Hockey Academy in Soragna, Italy. She’ll be traveling to Italy in May 2020 as part of ��������Ƶ’s Study Abroad Program.��