This week in the Fortinet Intern Spotlight Series, we introduce Kyree Conaway - a summer 2023 operations intern.
Kyree Conaway from Denver, Colorado graduated from Wagner College with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration. Conaway grew up heavily involved in a sports household playing various sports throughout middle school and high school before settling in on golf.
“I remember being involved in the First Tee when I was around six and then when I was older, I was a coach there but it was never really something I was fully committed to,” Conaway said. “But in high school, I made varsity while shooting 90 in my first round of ever playing 18 holes so from then on I wanted to see where that could take me.”
Conaway worked hard for four years playing high school golf and even a couple of AJGA events which led to her getting an offer to play Division I golf at Wagner College. Still trying to navigate her career path, Conaway decided to go back to pursue her master’s and saw an opportunity for a full-circle moment with the AJGA.
“I saw the email for the internship through TeamWork Online and wanted to take the opportunity to be on the other side of things,” Conaway said. “As a golfer, your mindset is just show up and play so I knew the organization [AJGA] but I didn’t know the ins and outs of running a golf tournament, so this was certainly a full circle opportunity for me when I got it.”
Conaway worked with Team 4 as an operations intern for the summer. She felt like her golf background helped her with her interactions with players and parents alike as she’s walked that path before.
“I feel like I can empathize with the kids, and I know exactly with they’re going through,” Conaway said. “It’s been super nice being able to have those conversations with the kids and their parents and being able to give back. The experience has been rewarding for me being able to connect with the kids and be a guide when I get asked questions and give advice and engage with them.”
Conaway had also been using her knowledge to help her team with rules officiating and pace of play as well as how to best engage with juniors when giving out red cards. Although she brought strengths to the table, she still learned a lot from her team in other regards.
“It’s been fun for me to get back into relearning the rules and finding that love I had for golf and being able to help my teammates with how to have the conversations with the juniors is great," Conaway said. “It does put a little pressure on you having a golf background because people lean into you, but I know I don’t know all the rules and I’m still learning too."
"Being in this team environment, you learn everyone’s different and how to best communicate effectively with them so that’s been something I’ve been gaining experience in that will help moving forward.”
Conaway is continuing to finish up her master's at Wagner College and looks to continue a path in the sports industry.
If you're driven to be part of this dynamic community, applications for the 2024 AJGA Internships are open. For more insights into the #AJGAInternship, explore the AJGA Careers webpage and Instagram channel .
