This week in the Fortinet Intern Spotlight Series, we introduce Kendra Hand. In the Spring of 2023, Hand served as an Operations Intern. Hand is now a Facilities Operations Coordinator at the University of Pennsylvania.
Can you tell me a little about your background?
I grew up in the West Philadelphia area and I've always had a love for sports because of my family. My dad was athletic and ran track and my sister followed in his footsteps. I started playing basketball when I was seven and then played softball and lacrosse. I also managed teams in high school. During that time, I realized even though I may no longer be able to play it, I want to be able to be a part of it, whether I'm coaching or on the administrative team.
During my graduate experience, I got in touch with Living Sport, which is a traveling opportunity for professionals in the sports industry. I went to Las Vegas with them for the NHL All-Star Game, and they put me in connection with the AJGA for their internship. I applied and I got accepted in the spring of 2023 to travel with Team 2 across the country.
You came into the Internship without a golf background. Was that a hard learning curve?
I didn't know much about golf, but the AJGA emphasized that you don't have to have a lot of experience and they’ll teach you. That took away a lot of the intimidation that I had because I felt like I didn’t have to be a professional and they’d help me, which is what they did. I didn't get it all during training week, but slowly picked it up as I went along.
I was so nervous the first week at Beaumont [TaylorMade Preview at Morongo], and I felt like I was lost. The growth I experienced and their patience with me allowed me to learn more about how to run a tournament and be a rules official. It was a shock to me how I did a 180 going from, knowing nothing, to being confident, to being able to teach someone else by the end.
In the Spring you were still going to school while being on the road as a traveling intern. What was that balance like?
I was going into my last semester while on the road, so I had to learn how to balance the two as far as traveling and working those long hours while getting my work turned in. I had to manage my time effectively while accounting for the time difference of being in California but knowing everything is due on the East Coast time in Virginia. It was an adjustment and I had to really hold myself accountable.
*Students can use the AJGA’s internship for school credit.
What skills did you learn or strengthen during the internship?
I learned how to be myself and that I can be a leader. You’re working with a group of individuals who don’t know each other and there can sometimes be conflict. I tried to sort things out and I learned that I can be the person that's neutral and doesn’t take sides. I'm not biased and working through that; we can still be professional. I learned having a good balance helps as well. You can have fun while also working hard. You’re here to do what you were assigned to do, but you can also have your rest days and go explore the city if you manage your time well. If you have balance, you can have those fun moments like when you get to go to a baseball game after work, so I appreciated that as well.
Do you have any favorite places or destinations you visited?
I enjoyed Texas and being able to see its downtown life as well as being on the West Coast because I’ve never been out there. Arizona was my favorite although I was scared to go there because I kept hearing that all it is, is a desert, but it was a dry heat, so I loved Arizona. It was a great opportunity to work and explore different cultures and see how people live in different environments.
You’re still in Operations now working in the Recreations Facility. What did you learn from the AJGA that helps you currently?
I learned conflict resolution and how to be more assertive. In my current job, I have to remain neutral and calm and deal with patrons when it comes to membership issues or financial problems that they want to dispute. You have to be able to explain the policy just as when you’re an Operations Intern explaining a ruling on the course. If you don’t, there will be back and forth and sometimes being confident helps speed that process up.
What would you tell someone who is thinking about doing the AJGA Internship?
I would say apply to expose yourself to things that you may not know, especially for those who know nothing about golf. There's so much you can learn from within the sport, you just must be willing to take the risk and bet on yourself.
You never know how it can impact you later down the line. You never know the job opportunities you can get from it. Take the risk, go travel the country, wherever they have you going, and you won’t regret it.
If you're driven to be part of this dynamic community, applications for the 2025 Traveling Internship will open in August. For more insights into the #AJGAInternship, explore the AJGA Careers webpage and Instagram channel .
