From SC State to the Super Bowl: Nicholas Walters and Chris Smith reflect on an experience like no other

ORANGEBURG, S.C. – When most South Carolina State University students were easing into the spring semester, Nicholas Walters and Chris Smith were just returning from the Super Bowl — not as spectators, but as participants in a behind-the-scenes experience few ever get.

Walters, a studio art-photography major, and Smith, an electrical engineering technology major, were selected to take part in the NFL’s HBCU Experience during Super Bowl LIX in Las Vegas. They worked red carpet events, attended service projects, and met high-ranking professionals — all as part of a broader initiative to engage and elevate students from historically Black colleges and universities.

Getting in the game

Both Walters and Smith were introduced to the opportunity through their involvement with HBCU End Zone, an initiative that regularly partners with SC State.

Smith had already worked with the organization at campus events, including homecoming, as a cadet in the SC State Army ROTC Bulldog Battalion. That included dressing in polos and khakis and getting people to the stands, a task that made a strong impression on the event organizers.

Well-known on campus for his near-constant presence with a camera at events, Walters got to know SC State and NFL alumnus Darius “Shaq” Leonard. Leonard asked Walters to take photos during an event sponsored by Amazon and HBCU End Zone, and when those photos were posted, it got him noticed.

“Getting those pictures posted got me recognized to one of the photographers who was working with HBCU End Zone,” Walters said. From there, he stayed persistent — tagging the organization in photos, sending direct messages, and offering to help however he could.

“Just bugging them that much got them to realize that I was their guy,” Walters said.

Behind the scenes in Las Vegas

Once they arrived in Las Vegas, both students were immersed in a fast-paced week of work.

Smith said the first few days were focused on community service.

“We went out, we worked a red carpet event,” he said. “We worked an emergency school for their kind of field day thing that a retired NFL player puts on every year for the Super Bowl.”

Walters was assigned to the media team.

“My job was to just kind of like capture the HBCU students as we're going through the internship,” he explained. That also meant working specific events, including the “Soul Food Red Carpet,” where he helped capture moments and interviews.

Neither got to attend the game itself. Still, both described the experience as invaluable.

Career growth and confidence

Walters, who switched his major from special education to studio art with a focus in photography, said the Super Bowl work helped him feel more confident about his path.

“It definitely can, well, first build my résumé and just learn more people skills,” he said. “Now I feel I can apply to anything, you know, like why not?”

He hopes to merge his love for art with journalism, bringing a unique perspective to his work.

“I want to bring my art photography into the journalist world… that’s my perspective on how I take pictures,” he said.

Smith, who is originally from Atlanta. plans a military career. His experience in the JROTC program Westlake High School, Atlanta, coupled with family ties in South Carolina, prompted his path as a Bulldog.

“My JROTC instructor said, ‘If you're doing ROTC, like for real, you're going to college, you might as well go to one of the best, South Carolina State,’” Smith said. “I started to look it up, and you see all the articles about SC State graduating the most Black general officers.

“I kind of will be a part of that -- that legacy,” he said.

Though he initially wasn’t sure how the NFL experience would connect to his future in the Army, the large-scale logistics of the Super Bowl opened his eyes, especially as he prepares for leadership roles in military operations.

“You got to see all the ins and outs of something that’s that large,” he said. “That kind of gives me a better insight on how to actually run what I think of for certain situations.”

The internship also was a great networking opportunity.

“I ended up going there meeting general. I met a Purple Heart recipient, the CEO of USAA,” he said.

A glimpse of what's possible

The fast pace left an impression on both students.

“It was very fast paced, you know, at all times,” Walters said. “Even after you took the pictures, you got to get them turned in about 30 minutes later.”

For Smith, the Super Bowl experience reinforced the value of discipline, communication, and networking.

“Just going from here, you know, just our campus-wide to the NFL — it was nationwide, even worldwide at this point… Just seeing that and how it's run kind of gives me a better insight,” Smith said.

And of course, there were some lighter moments — like the celebrity flag football game.

“Quavo, Latto, Kai Cenat, Speed, Teyana Taylor — it was a lot,” Walters recalled. “We were rubbing elbows.”

From event coordination to media coverage and military-minded networking, Walters and Smith proved that students from SC State can hold their own on the biggest stage — and they’re just getting started.