GULLS GRADUATE: Clare O'Keefe '21 Mixes Passions At International Tennis Hall Of Fame

BEVERLY, Mass. – Former Endicott women's tennis student-athlete Clare O'Keefe '21 (Lutz, Fla.) recently graduated from The Nest with her Bachelor of Science in Sport Management.

Here's how O'Keefe has mixed her passions for tennis and sport management in her current role with AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) for Team Fame – Future Aces Modeling Excellence (TeamFAME) at the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

1.) What experiences at Endicott, especially your internships, helped you land your AmeriCorps VISTA for TeamFAME at the International Tennis Hall of Fame position? 

My different internships throughout my time at Endicott, especially my international one – which was being the Sports, Leisure, and Childhood Studies Department intern at the Cork Institute of Technology in Ireland – were helpful in landing my VISTA position for TeamFAME because they were all in different areas and had different tasks, most of which were similar to what was expected at the Hall of Fame position.

My sport management coursework also proved heavily useful because I was able to reference specific projects or papers that related to marketing, event management, or promotional aspects that were relevant to the administrative side of the position.

Being a collegiate athlete and a captain also gave me a major advantage while I was interviewing for the position and my now supervisor made mention of how impressive that was and how much that stands out on a resume. 


2) What are your daily responsibilities?

My daily responsibilities so far have been primarily focused on the summer program for TeamFAME, which is a National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) chapter that is introducing Newport, Rhode Island students to tennis for the first time and helping them build a love and talent for the game.

I am involved on the administrative side where I deal with scheduling, planning events, coordinating meal delivery and prep, and all other logistical aspects. I am one of the major coaches for the program and I help teach the kids how to play tennis, have friendly competition against them, and also help keep them active through other physical activities.

Additionally, I am a community outreach leader where we introduce local Newport kids to tennis through tennis clinics at different community spots. 

3) What are your favorite parts about the job?

One of my favorite parts about the job is the chance to introduce kids to the sport that has given me so much. Even in the short time I've been at the Hall of Fame, I've seen our TeamFAME students increase their tennis skills by so much.

I also enjoy how many different experiences I've had so far, including getting to watch pro tennis at the Newport Open and attend the Hall of Fame induction where I saw one of my personal tennis idols Billie Jean King inducted with the Original 9 as the first group to enter the Hall of Fame. 

4) What are your long-term goals?

My long-term goals are to continue to work in sports and ideally, I want to pursue a career working in baseball, either in player/media relations and/or gameday operations. This experience with the International Tennis Hall of Fame has not only showed me a lot of different avenues that I can pursue in sports but has also provided me with countless new connections that I aim to utilize once my year of service has concluded.

Even continuing with TeamFAME and the Hall of Fame would be an opportunity I would consider if it was offered down the road because I have had such a positive and impactful experience already only a few months in. 

5) What made you come to Endicott all the way from Florida?

One of the biggest things that attracted me to Endicott was its reputation for sport management and its internship program. It was important to me that I would have different experiences throughout my college life that would help me decide what career path I wanted to take and the required internships were very attractive on that front.

Endicott was also perfect for me because I wanted a smaller school that was more hands-on in the classroom and didn't have giant classes because I was homeschooled up until my freshman year at Endicott. I knew I wanted a home-like college experience instead of attending a massive university.

Plus, the opportunity to play collegiate tennis for a program with an impressive history was the icing on top of the cake. 

NOTES

• 29% of Endicott students who graduated in 2019 and were employed full-time found their career through internship site or contact
• 90% of Endicott students who graduated in 2019 found employment related to their major

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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)