Pass It Forward Intern Spotlight: Jordon Lawrenz

After I graduated (from UW-Green Bay) in May 2023, I relocated to Florida to participate in the Disney College Program (DCP).

Doing the DCP had always been a dream of mine, and graduating in three-years allowed me the opportunity to fulfill that before I pursued my first full-time job.

Once I completed my program, nothing was really standing out to me, and I knew Orlando has plenty of opportunities to potentially work with a professional sports organization.

Last year, I got a call from the Orlando Sentinel as they were looking for a few freelance writers for the high school football season.

I began doing those games, and thankfully they brought me back for the 2025 season.

Other than that, my writing career really began to take off.

Since living in Florida, I’ve had the opportunity to write for numerous major outlets including PrizePicks and Pro Football Network.

Currently, I spent the majority of my time writing for Sports Illustrated.

I was recently named “Eastern US Recruiting Beat Writer” which covers Duke, Michigan State, NC State and North Carolina.

I also work for a second publisher who gave me my first break with On SI covering Iowa and the Tennessee Titans.

Without the Pass it Forward program, the Orlando Sentinel would’ve never looked my way.

While I’m only freelancing with them, I would love for that to eventually be my full-time employment.

Embracing the freelance writing lifestyle has been a challenge, but everything takes time to come to fruition.

Those few months I spent with The Press Times familiarized myself with interviewing players, attending games and going out of my comfort zone to cover certain things that I never would’ve in the first place.

I can’t thank everyone enough for taking a chance on me as my time in Green Bay helped me fall in love with writing and it’s turned into what I do on a daily basis.

The Pass It Forward internship program is sponsored by Nicolet National Bank and the Packers Give Back.