This week in the Fortinet Intern Spotlight Series, we introduce Sarah Perciavalle. In 2023 Perciavalle was a summer Operations Intern and will return as a summer Tournament Assistant (TA), which is an elevated internship position for those returning for another traveling internship season.
Can you tell me a little about your background?
I’m from Tampa, Florida, and grew up playing sports, mainly volleyball and softball. My dad was my coach up until high school and he taught me valuable life lessons through sports, such as being a good teammate and how to carry yourself through wins and losses. I always knew I wanted to do something in sports, and I like to plan and organize, so event and operation management interested me. I majored in Project Management and minored in Sport Management at Elon University. I knew that I wanted to work in the sports industry and that’s where I found the AJGA.
Why did you want to work for the AJGA?
My dad plays golf and is a huge fan, but I never played growing up. After high school, I started getting into golf. My dad taught me all about the game and when I saw the internship opportunity, I thought it would be cool to learn more about the industry. I always played in [volleyball and softball] tournaments but never knew how they operated, so it intrigued me to be a part of that and learn how it’s done. The culture of the AJGA seemed like a good fit for me. The travel stood out to me as I spent a semester doing Semester at Sea.
What was your internship experience like?
Going into the internship, I knew that we’d be traveling with essentially eight strangers. You’re with the same people every day, staying in hotels, and driving to all these different states together. I’ve never experienced anything like that in a job setting. I think we had a great team and made great memories together. By the end, we had a better understanding of each other, so if someone was having an off day, we would rally around one another to get the job done. Being able to build relationships and friendships was valuable for me.
What’s been your biggest takeaway from the internship?
Learning how to work with people who have different personalities will help me in any setting or environment in the future. My teamwork skills improved as I learned how to communicate in a professional setting and how to work with others. Being able to rely on the strengths of others was another skill I learned. Knowing operations and the tournament side was immense as you’re always having to adapt and adjust if things don’t go the way you planned. You learn to redirect and push forward.
You’re coming back as a Tournament Assistant; what are you looking to learn from this position?
I’m excited to come back and see all the people I got to work with last summer, including all the AJGA staff that I got to meet and interact with. That was something that made me feel connected. The opportunity to gain more experience and see things differently because the TA role does a lot that I didn’t notice during the internship. I’m excited to be on that side of the tournament operations as well as being a mentor to the interns coming in. The TA position is also valuable in that regard. I know that I learned a lot from the TAs when I was an Operations Intern, so being able to be in that position is exciting. I’m pumped to be back in that environment with the AJGA. It seems like such a simple thing, but it makes a difference to the kids who are playing.
What was your favorite destination or event throughout your internship?
All the tournaments were amazing, but if I had to pick a favorite it would be the Mizuno / Greyson Sigg Junior Championship in Hilton Head, South Carolina. It was a great experience because the local community has been involved with the AJGA for many years and we felt like we were a part of something bigger than ourselves. We had many unique experiences that week and everyone was so welcoming. The course was beautiful, we met many different people, and the memories were what made that tournament stick out to me.
What’s the next step in your career?
I’m still interested in event management within sports. Before this internship, I never thought about doing it with golf, but after these experiences, it’s something that I would love to do. I want to be able to give back and work within my passions. I’m very excited to do the TA internship with the AJGA and see where that takes me. I will find something in sports because that’s where my passion is.
If you're driven to be part of this dynamic community, applications for the 2024 AJGA Traveling Internships are closed, but 2025 Traveling applications will open in August. For more insights into the #AJGAInternship, explore the AJGA Careers webpage and Instagram channel .
