LEWISTON, N.Y. — It's the ultimate school field trip.
"Today we're flying to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl," Niagara University senior Jack Armstrong said. "We're just getting there today, but tomorrow we're working the game day experience."
Added fellow student Dominic Lewis: "Over the course of this, we are working the fan experience events and game day experience events, and we're also going on different tours of arenas in Las Vegas."
Ten sport management students from NU are going on the trip altogether.
"They're going to be going out there, getting incredible work experience, learning a lot, seeing what happens behind the scenes," assistant dean in the College of Hospitality, Sport, and Tourism Management Brandi Guerinot said. "We can't wait to get out there for them to get this experience."
For senior Isabella Chapman, the assignment is still sinking in.
"It's honestly mind-blowing that I'm even here," she said. "I never thought growing up I would be here, being able to work the Super Bowl."
It takes a lot to put on such a major event, and the students will get to see it all firsthand.
"That's something we really prepare them for, and we spend a lot of time prepping in the fall semester leading up to this event so that they understand what it's going to be like to get this work experience," Guerinot said. "It's important for us to make them feel prepared, but ultimately until you're there and you experience it, you don't know what it's going to be like and that's the point of this experience for them."
Armstong might be looking forward to it more than anyone.
"It is very exciting. I was actually lucky enough to go last year, and because of visa problems, because I'm Canadian, I couldn't actually physically work the event, but I was still able to go," he said. "This year I'll be able to work the event and have even more of a front row experience than last year."
Even though they don't have tickets to the actual game, the students say being behind the scenes will be priceless.
"Being able to be part of that moment and make that experience is just worth it and worth missing the game," Chapman said.
Lewis added: "This is a once in a lifetime experience for sure, so this could honestly be a very good opportunity for all of us. We're getting outside of New York, we're getting out the falls, we're traveling the country. So just having those connections around the world would be very huge for everybody."