Green Wave Summer Spotlight: Tim Ruetzel
Aug 22, 2019 | Men's Tennis
NEW ORLEANS – Tulane Athletics will be putting the spotlight on student-athletes from all sports during the summer months, as many of them work internships, travel the world and share their unique experiences.
Check back each week for a new edition featuring another Green Wave student-athlete!
Who: Tim Ruetzel
What: Internship with Savills - a Commercial Real Estate company
When: Summer 2019
Where: Munich, Germany/New York City
Why did you choose this type of internship?
"I connected with a Tulane alum, Adam Bernstein, who used to play on the tennis team. He used to work for Savills and referred me to them. I wanted to do it because I wanted some experience before starting my senior year so I could have a balance of academics and athletics. I wanted to put myself in the best position for whatever I choose to do after graduation."
What was it like and what did you learn?
"It was a 10-week program, and I did it with about 15 other interns. I love learning new things. It was hard work, and I went into it thinking it would be the right thing for me. It turns out it was. I learned from some really smart people and it was only my second time every being in New York. It was a competitive environment, but teamwork was a heavy emphasis on most projects."
Did you apply any leadership or teamwork experiences from your tennis experience?
"It was fun working on things with people I only knew for a few weeks. It will be a little similar this coming year with three new freshmen coming in so adapting and making new friends is important. Heading into my last year as one of four seniors, we'll have to work hard, and I'll be telling the younger guys that they need to work hard if we want to accomplish all of our goals."
How much tennis did you play this summer?
"I played with a club team at home in Germany for four weeks right after the school year ended and we did pretty well. Personally, I went 5-0 in singles and 5-0 in doubles. We won our league and moved up to play against a higher division. In New York, I got to hit at local courts on nights and weekends with some college guys who play at other schools."
What were some other things you did while in New York?
"I actually lived with (former teammate) Eric Wagner who has an apartment in Manhattan. He started working there this summer and had a spare room for me.
Players Mentioned
