This week in the Fortinet Intern Spotlight Series, we introduce Lily Joyce. Joyce was a 2023 summer communications intern for the AJGA and now is a Communications Coordinator at the Southern Texas PGA Section (STPGA).
Can you tell me a little about your background?
I grew up in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, and lived right off the 10th tee box of Rivertowne Country Club. Both of my parents played golf, but I wasn't really into the sport growing up. I was involved with dance and art, and then in seventh grade, I took a stronger interest in golf. I had lessons every Saturday with my dad, and then he convinced me to try out for the high school team. I made the team and became obsessed with the sport. Originally, I thought I wanted to go to college to be an architect, but then with my scores improving, I decided that I wanted to continue playing at the next level. I was deciding between a few colleges, but I picked Coastal Carolina because I wanted to play golf.
So you played golf throughout high school and college, what caused you to want to go into communications?
I discovered that I was interested in social media and noticed that I had some strengths within that. I decided that studying architecture would be too much of a time commitment, along with playing collegiate golf, so I changed my major to digital culture and design. Over time in college, I sat down and reflected on what would make me happy and what my passions were. I felt like playing golf was holding me back from what I truly wanted to do, so my sophomore year, I spoke with my coach, and I stepped away from the team. However, I stayed on to help with social media and then got involved with Chanticleer Sports Network (CSM) and changed my major to sports communication. I finally felt I was on the right path.
How did you find out about the AJGA?
I loved being around golf and knew I wanted to work in the industry. It was difficult to find internships, but I remember the exact moment I found the AJGA on Teamwork Online. I knew I wanted to increase my communication and photography skills. After reading the description, I thought this was exactly what I wanted to do. It’s crazy because I knew about the AJGA since I was 12. I went through the hiring process, and soon after, I was in spin class, and my phone started buzzing, and it was the AJGA. I told people it was the best spin class of my life because I knew I was taking a step in the right direction for the career I wanted.
What was your internship experience like?
I was nervous about meeting eight other strangers that I was going to travel the U.S. with for the next three months. Luckily, my team instantly clicked as soon as we met. I think it’s an experience everyone should go through: getting paired with random people and forming relationships and chemistry with everyone while you work. The people you meet along the way are awesome because you never know when they’re going to circle back into your life. There are parents, juniors, and even sponsors I met during my internship that I see at my current job, so that’s amazing to see. You learn a lot along the way, especially when you blow a truck tire and have to figure out how to fix it all together. It was a huge growth period in my life, and it was a great experience, not to mention the experience it gave me for my career.
What skills do you think you use at the STPGA that you learned from the AJGA?
At the STPGA, we have a junior side and a section side for our members. We approach that content very differently, but I still take a lot of the best practices from the AJGA with me regarding content creation and thinking about how to capture content. We don’t do everything the same way from a tournament perspective, but I apply a lot of the same skills and scheduling for each tournament that I’m trying to get content for. I think another skill is the ability to be organized. We’re not creating nearly as much content in a short period, but we do have a lot of different tasks thrown at us, so being organized helps me immensely. I credit the AJGA internship for helping me have those skills to be successful in this role.
What’s the next step in your career?
I knew from my sophomore year that I wanted to work for the PGA TOUR. The STPGA is a great place to be, and I’ve already learned so much in my first few months working here. I want to take everything that I acquire at the STPGA and use it at the PGA or even the LPGA Tour one day. I think everything that I’ve learned with the AJGA and the STPGA will help accomplish that.
What would you tell someone looking to apply to the AJGA Internship?
I would say, don’t be nervous and be yourself. The AJGA wants you to be 100 percent yourself. They’re not looking for perfection or someone who knows all about golf because it's not just about golf. The internship teaches you how to work and how to organize events while working in a team environment. The skills you pick up will help you wherever you want to go. So even if golf isn’t your main interest, I wouldn’t let that deter you from applying because you will learn so much more than just golf.
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 account .
