Patrick Neal graduated from Clemson in May 2025 as a double major in Business Management and Sport Communication. He received the Markvan Bellamy Brooks Endowed Scholarship in 2023. Throughout his time at Clemson he utilized his love for sports and major in Sport Communication to succeed in internships with Augusta National Golf Club and Clemson Athletics.
How have you utilized your major/concentration in sports to help your career?
I worked as a Coaches’ Recruiting Assistant with Clemson Football for 3.5 years while at school, and my concentration in sports helped me manage relationships and work successfully to bring in high school recruits to the program. I was also to have some experiences working with the Atlanta Falcons shadowing their community relations team, which was really special to see and only possible because of the communication and relationship skills I learned at school.
What is your current role and where are you located?
I work now as a Transportation Supervisor with DHL Supply Chain in Greer, SC. There I use my management and communication skills I learned to successfully manage 25 drivers and their route planning, along with the transportation operations of the site.
What has your journey been like since graduating from Clemson?
I’ve only been out of school for a month and a half or so, so really still trying to learn what it’s like to live as a college graduate. I got to travel around Europe with college friends right after graduation, which was awesome to see and experience some of Europe’s different cultures.
What advice would you give to future Brooks Scholars as they approach post-grad?
I’m still learning a lot, but I’d tell other scholars that as they approach post-grad, I think it’s just important to reflect on what you find most important in your life and to try to align your experiences with that. Find career opportunities and create goals that are going to help you fulfill what is most important and meaningful to you, and while career success is important, the people and relationships you have are going to be more important in the end.
Brian Smith graduated from Clemson in May 2023 with a major in Marketing and a minor in Entrepreneurship. He received the Markvan Bellamy Brooks Endowed Scholarship in 2022. Throughout his time at Clemson, he utilized his studies to succeed in his internships with major sports teams such as the New York Giants and the New York Yankees.
How have you utilized your major/concentration in sports to help your career?
My major played a huge role in shaping my overall business knowledge and expertise, but the experiences I had outside the classroom is really what allowed me to learn the business of sports firsthand. Being able to see different facets of the industry throughout my time in college helped determine the direction I wanted to go post-grad, and gave an understanding of how they all work and interact.
What is your current role and where are you located?
I am currently with Genesco Sports Enterprises, a sports marketing consulting agency specializing in brand partnership strategy. I’m fortunate enough to help manage some of the largest portfolios in sports sponsorship out of our New York City office.
What has your journey been like since graduating from Clemson?
After graduation I took a season-long internship in the New York Jets corporate partnerships department. After 8 months there I took the job with Genesco as an Assistant Manager and have since been promoted to Manager.
What advice would you give to future Brooks Scholars as they approach post-grad?
There’s never a job or task too small and take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way.
Nicole Entrup graduated from Clemson University in December 2021 with a major in Recreational Therapy and a minor in Nonprofit Leadership from the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management. Throughout her time at Clemson, she focused her coursework and field experiences on the power of adaptive sports as a therapeutic tool to support individuals with physical disabilities. Her studies allowed her to explore how sport fosters not just physical recovery, but also social connection, resilience and purpose.
How have you utilized your major/concentration in sports to help your career?
Nicole Entrup in front of the Wounded Warrior Project building
Since graduating, I’ve dedicated my career to leveraging the therapeutic and empowering nature of sport to improve the quality of life for individuals with physical disabilities, especially service members. I first served as an Adaptive Sports Coordinator for the Air Force Wounded Warrior Program, supporting athletes on their journey to the Warrior Games. I later transitioned to a clinical setting at the Center for the Intrepid, where I collaborated with nonprofit partners to design sport-based interventions aligned with patient goals. Many of these patients had experienced limb loss, burns or nerve damage. In this role, I created and led an adaptive sports program focused on improving functional movement, promoting camaraderie and helping individuals rediscover a sense of purpose. My foundation in recreational therapy was instrumental in understanding how to intentionally use sport as a tool for healing and growth.
What is your current role and where are you located?
I currently serve as an Adaptive Sports Specialist for Wounded Warrior Project, based out of San Antonio, Texas. My primary focus is programming within the Central U.S., though I travel nationwide to coordinate single-day and multi-day adaptive sports clinics. These events introduce or advance participants’ skills in a variety of sports from outdoor recreation like kayaking and fishing to competitive team sports like wheelchair basketball, sled hockey and sitting volleyball. I work closely with external partners to deliver meaningful experiences that promote physical wellness, build social connection, and strengthen each warrior’s sense of identity and purpose after injury.
What has your journey been like since graduating from Clemson?
My post-grad journey began almost immediately as I accepted a job with the Air Force Wounded Warrior Program just two days after graduation. I returned to San Antonio where I had interned at Morgan’s Sports during my undergrad. As I’ve moved through different roles from clinical and community-based, to now nonprofit, I’ve stayed rooted in the belief that sport is a powerful tool for transformation. I credit much of that perspective to mentors like Dr. Jasmine Townsend, who helped me see how sport can be used with intention to help individuals reclaim independence and reimagine their futures.
What advice would you give to future Brooks Scholars as they approach post-grad?
I challenge future scholars to stay grounded in the belief that sport has the power to change lives, and let that belief guide your next steps. Always be curious and committed to learning, not just in the classroom, but out in the field where sport meets real-world challenges. Seek out experiences that push you to grow, whether that’s through hands-on practice, conferences, collaborations or taking on new responsibilities.
Additionally, never underestimate the value of building genuine connections. The relationships you form, whether with peers, mentors or program participants, will open doors and shape your path in unexpected ways. Finally, when you lead with passion and keep the focus on creating impact through sport, you’ll be prepared to make a meaningful difference wherever you land.
As summer begins, the Robert H. Brooks Sport Science Institute is excited to introduce the two interns who will be assisting the Institute throughout the summer. Meet Evelyn Lane and Maria Pocorobba, who bring a mix of returning knowledge and new ideas to the summer team.
Evelyn Lane
Evelyn Lane, senior marketing major and Spanish minor from Piedmont, South Carolina, is the Institute’s communications lead this summer. She will format and enhance sports science content, promoting the RHBSSI mission through social channels. She will also help develop and write content for the Institute’s Sports Insight blog.
“I am so happy to be returning to the Institute to continue to promote the sports research and newest developments of Clemson faculty, staff and students,” Lane said. “I am also so excited to improve my writing and communication skills through creating articles for the Sports Insight blog.”
Evelyn has previously worked as an account manager and brand strategist with Cadency, Clemson’s student-led agency, and is a returning intern with the RHBSSI from the Spring 2025 semester. She is excited to take her experience from the past semester and continue to help grow the Institute’s social media presence, and is eager to work with her fellow intern and see what they can accomplish.
Maria Pocorobba
Maria Pocorobba, senior communications major and minor in business and brand communication from Albany, New York, is the Institute’s content creator this summer. She will be assisting with strategizing, writing and designing content for the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute to help communicate effectively with their audiences and promote upcoming events and initiatives.
“I am excited to continue combining my passion for design with sports, and gain more hands-on experience creating engaging visuals that bring RHBSSI’s mission to life and connect with the campus community,” Pocorobba said.”I am excited to bring my creative background and skills to RHBSSI this summer!”
She interned with the Brooke T Smith Launchpad as an Analyst in Residence, was a Creative Designer for Cadency, and is a Graphic Design intern for Clemson Athletics. In these roles, she creates social media content, branding elements, and promotional materials.
In 2025, Clemson’s Headgear Impact Performance (CHIP) Lab continues pushing boundaries in helmet safety research, making significant progress through innovative, student-engaged projects. Led by Dr. John DesJardins, professor of bioengineering and interim director of the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute (RHBSSI), and Dr. Greg Batt, associate professor of packaging science and faculty fellow of RHBSSI, the lab focuses on enhancing how protective headgear is tested and developed, particularly for high-impact sports like football. The goal: bring greater accuracy and real-world relevance to helmet testing systems to better protect athletes from concussions and traumatic brain injuries.
In recent years, the team received a patent for their novel testing method and a Technology Maturation Grant from the Clemson University Research Foundation (CURF), the technology transfer and innovation office for Clemson, to make a benchtop testing machine that they can market. Within just the first few months of 2025, Clemson students achieved the publication of three research articles (featured at the bottom of this post) showcasing this momentum. Much of the content was centered around improvements to testing equipment, especially the crash test dummy.
Anthony Marino working in the CHIP Lab
One significant contribution came from the lab’s involvement in a collaborative, multi-site study comparing two standard neck models used in helmet testing, one produced by Humanetics and the other by Jasti Co., both manufacturers of anthropometric test devices (ATDs). Although both neck forms meet federal safety standards, little has been done to compare their performance under sports-specific conditions. Working alongside the University of Southern Mississippi, Clemson Ph.D. student Anthony Marino conducted impact tests with each neck form and found subtle, yet meaningful, differences in how the head accelerated and moved. These insights are critical, especially for labs that standardize results across different testing setups.
Building on this, the student-engaged team set out to improve how realistic and reliable these test dummies are. Many commonly used models, like the Hybrid III, were initially designed for car crash testing, not the unpredictable, multi-directional impacts seen in sports. To address this, the Clemson group experimented with modifications to the dummy’s neck, adjusting cable stiffness and accounting for asymmetrical design features. Even minor tweaks led to significant changes in how the head moved during impact, offering a deeper understanding of how minor variations can influence helmet safety data. These findings help fine-tune testing protocols to reflect real-world conditions on the field.
Madysn Cardinal (left) and Anthony Marino (right)
Meanwhile, a separate research group took testing innovation even further by designing a new method for future concussion research. Led by Ph.D. student Madysn Cardinal, they developed and validated an inverted testing fixture, essentially flipping the dummy upside down to better simulate the effects of brain fluid movement during impacts. This setup could be especially valuable when using cadaveric specimens to study how cerebrospinal fluid and blood shift in response to trauma. After running a full comparison between the inverted and traditional upright test methods, they found strong alignment in critical measurements like angular velocity and linear acceleration. This confirmed the new system’s reliability and potential to support more advanced brain injury studies.
Now with the Technology Maturation Grant from CURF, the team is working to turn their initial patent claims into a working prototype. They are focused on developing a new testing setup specifically designed to evaluate the safety of faceguards, a critical but often overlooked component of protective sports gear. A new Clemson Master’s students will play a key role in advancing this project, gaining hands-on experience while pushing innovation forward in the field of sports science.
Together, these projects highlight Clemson’s growing role as a leader in sports safety research. By challenging outdated standards, refining testing tools and fostering cross-lab collaboration, the CHIP Lab is redefining how we evaluate helmet performance. The CHIP Lab deeply engages its graduate and undergraduate student members, gaining hands-on experience while directly contributing to the future of athlete protection. With continued leadership from Dr. DesJardins, Dr. Batt and support from the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute, Clemson is helping make sports safer, one carefully measured impact at a time.
Check out these recent publications from Spring 2025:
Marino AP, Jesunathadas M, Landry T, Piland SG, DesJardins JD, Batt GS. Comparison of dynamic performance of Jasti and Humanetics neckforms with an inter-lab validation. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part P: Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology. 2025;0(0). doi:10.1177/17543371241312829
Cardinal MD, Marino AP, DesJardins JD, Batt G. Development and validation of inverted head form orientation for helmet testing using a pneumatic linear impact system. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part P: Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology. 2025;0(0). doi:10.1177/17543371241309998
Marino AP, Cardinal MD, Garrison A, Batt GS, DesJardins JD. Effects of varied stiffness and design asymmetry of neck anthropometric test devices on quasi-static and dynamic loading response to football head impacts. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part P: Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology. 2025;0(0). doi:10.1177/17543371251322217
The end of the Spring semester means saying goodbye to five RHBSSI interns. These interns helped uphold and spread the RHBSSI mission in various ways, such as through our social media and student-oriented events. They have left a lasting impression on the Institute and shared their insight about their time here.
Griffin Barfield, Writer/Editor
Griffin Barfield is a junior Communication major and Spanish minor. Alongside interning for the Institute, he is the sports editor of The Tiger, Clemson’s student newspaper. He utilized his skills from this position to highlight Clemson University faculty, staff, students and events that align with the Institute. He skillfully translated the work and stories of the Clemson community into captivating sports science pieces for all audiences to enjoy.
“I’m so happy with how my time with the Institute ended up this semester,” Barfield said. “From forming great connections to connecting with Clemson’s campus more, I’m proud of the work I accomplished here this spring.”
Barfield will be graduating from Clemson in December of 2025. This summer, he plans to go back home and continue improving his writing and editorial skills in New Jersey.
“I hope to come back to the Institute next fall as a writing intern again, and as for this summer, I’ll be looking at freelance writing for my local publications in New Jersey.”
Evelyn Lane, Communications Lead
Evelyn Lane is a junior Marketing major and Spanish minor. Before interning at RHBSSI, she was a brand strategist and account manager for Cadency, Clemson’s student-led brand agency. She used her knowledge of social media strategies and analytics to aid the Institute in growing its social media presence and maintaining a cohesive brand image.
“My time with RHBSSI has helped me grow in many different aspects of my life,” Lane said. “I was able to collaborate with people from all different majors and backgrounds; I learned how to be confident in my ideas, and incorporate the ideas of others into the social media plan, and allow everyone to feel heard.”
Lane will stay in Clemson and continue her internship with the Institute this summer.
“I am so excited to continue working with RHBSSI, watching our media presence grow, and figuring out how to utilize each platform to the best of our abilities.”
Natalie Bell, Graphic Designer
Natalie Bell is a graduating senior Graphic Communications major with a minor in Brand Communications. While interning with RHBSSI, she was also Cadency’s creative director. This semester marks the end of her two semesters with the Institute, where she has been able to showcase her creative talent.
“I have loved my past two semesters with the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute. Since I am a Graphic Communications major and Brand Communications minor, I am not in the sports realm. This internship allowed me to participate in the athletics and research side of Clemson University,” Bell said. “I have gotten to be a part of some fantastic opportunities, such as photographing Clemson’s first Paralympic soccer match and designing mini golf scorecards for our Research Symposium. RHBSSI has made me a more well-rounded graphic designer!”
Bell is graduating this May, and her future endeavors are bright.
“Upon graduation on May 8, I will be starting my full-time position as a Graphic Designer for FerebeeLane in Greenville, SC.”
Nicole Souza, Technical Communications Specialist
Nicole Souza is a graduating senior Bioengineering major. During her time with RHBSSI, she conducted research surrounding Real Madrid NEXT technology partners and utilized her scientific skillset to write blog posts about Clemson’s STEM impacts and CHIP (Clemson Headgear Impact Performance) Lab outcomes.
“It’s been amazing getting to see all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into not just sports science, but also supporting the University and its students,” Souza said. “My time at RHBSSI taught me a lot about the side of science I had not seen in my classes, like marketing, communication and outreach, and I’m really grateful for that.”
Although Souza is graduating this May, she plans to continue her path as a Tiger through Clemson’s Master’s program.
“After graduation this May, I’ll be interning at Arthrex as a product management intern, working with orthopedic medical devices and instruments. Even better, I’ll be coming back to Clemson in the fall to start my Master’s of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering. Go Tigers!”
Keeleigh Bush, Events Lead
Keeleigh Bush is a graduating senior Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management major with an emphasis in Tourism and Event Management. She is also the public relations chair for the Clemson Events Planners Association. With this background, she has excelled in planning, coordinating and executing speaker events and campus activations.
“I had such a great time serving as the Events Intern this semester,” Bush said. “It was incredibly fun and inspiring to work alongside such a talented group of fellow interns.”
Bush is graduating alongside Souza and Bell this May, and it ecstatic about future opportunities.
“I’m graduating this spring and currently exploring opportunities—excited for what’s ahead and staying open to new possibilities!”
Whether they are staying in Tiger Town or taking their talents elsewhere, we know our interns will thrive in the face of any challenge and we thank them for their hard work this semester!
Former RHBSSI intern Katie Gerbasich has been working closely with Clemson Athletics as a member of the Baseball Analytics team and a writer.
by Griffin Barfield
Katie Gerbasichat RECESS 2024.
A former intern at the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute, Katie Gerbasich, a junior Sports Communication major from Houston, TX, has been working closely with various teams and departments through sport, building off of what she learned from the Institute.
Following her stint in the fall of 2024 with the Institute, Gerbasich is now working with the Baseball Analytics team through Clemson Olympic Sports Science. She works specifically with the hitting team, focusing on scouting and player development from the hitter’s perspective.
“We have access to a database that stores tons of information from every single play in the game,” Gerbasich said. “It’s our responsibility to take that information, filter out what’s important, and communicate it to our coaching staff.”
Gerbasich and her team also focus on opponents for Clemson Baseball, picking out key information to highlight its opponents’ strengths and weaknesses. From there, she helps communicate this data to the coaching staff for game planning.
“It’s been super cool to experience the behind-the-scenes of our team and see how our work makes an impact,” she said.
Gerbasich has been an intern with Tiger View Media this spring, covering various sporting events, including Clemson’s spring game.
In addition, Gerbasich joined Tiger View Media as a sports writer, covering various Clemson Baseball, Softball and Women’s Lacrosse events over the course of the spring seasons. She also received an opportunity through the media group to cover the Clemson Football spring game, calling it a “highlight moment.”
From her previous experience as an event and writing assistant with the Institute, she feels that her writing skills have been elevated to another level, being able to write a lot more with Tiger View Media.
“It feels like I’m seemingly able to pump out article after article,” Gerbasich said. “I’m so much more confident now in my abilities now, thanks to the support of the Institute.”
As for the future, Gerbasich will plan to stay with both programs, staying with baseball analytics until baseball season ends this summer. Furthermore, she will continue to work in sports media with Tiger View Media, covering football for the publication in the fall.
She hopes to graduate early and begin pursuing her Master’s degree in Sports Analytics at Clemson, aspiring to work for a professional team in analytics or communication.
The team played and defeated the CP Soccer All Stars 6-1 at Historic Riggs Field at their first real match in program history.
Goalkeeper Max Alberici celebrates a goal with midfielder Chile Chitulangoma, who scored.
While the players lifted a trophy for the win, they weren’t just thrilled with the hardware: they were ecstatic that they even had the opportunity to play.
Shea Hammond is a graduate student in communication who has been with the team for several years, the first undergraduate player in the program’s history. Seeing the event come together was enough to inspire a win.
“It’s the name of the field. It’s historic,” Hammond said after the game. “To finally play on this field, it’s historic. It’s indescribable.”
Head coach and assistant professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, Felipe Tobar, watched his players’ dreams come true that afternoon. Many of them had dreamed of playing collegiate sports after high school, a period where many athletes with cerebral palsy (CP) stop playing.
“We’d like to say thank you to the community and the fanbase who supported us,” Tobar said. “They had a dream to play in a college stadium and they accomplished it.”
Graduate student Shea Hammond scored a hat-trick on Saturday morning.
Four different Clemson players scored, while Hammond scored a hat-trick with all three of his goals coming in the second half. One player, Tyler Bennett, is a team alumnus and one of the first two players to join the program in 2017. Bennett brought practices featuring movements, passing and other workouts from the U.S. CP National Team.
It was a new Clemson experience for Bennett, coming back to campus and playing in a full game of soccer with CP rules.
“I think it went well for the program,” Bennett said. “They showed that if you’re training here full-time, you’re going to do pretty well.”
Many faces from the Clemson Men’s and Women’s Soccer teams were present. Flags flew and celebrations commenced in the stands whenever a player scored. The entire women’s lacrosse team attended, surprising goalkeeper Max Alberici, the team’s manager.
That wasn’t the best moment of the game in Alberici’s opinion, however. His favorite experience came from watching substitute goalkeeper, Ethan Donahue, play. He joined the team several weeks before the match after Hammond recruited him on campus. Donahue and his disability were welcomed by the team in open arms.
“I was more happy to get him in the game,” Alberici said.
“There’s no relationship like an adaptive sport relationship,” Hammond said, “and like a CP soccer family.”
The match was the last that this team will play all together, as they say goodbye to Hammond following five seasons with the program. As he graduates from Clemson, Hammond looks forward to working with cerebral palsy and Paralympic athletes in the future.
The Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute sponsored the match’s trophy, which the Clemson CP team raised following its win.
“That’s a lifetime of work that I’m going to commit to and making sure that we can grow this program in this sport as much as possible,” Hammond said.
For Tobar, the practices and cultivation of this match proved to be a great success. Earlier in the week, the team played Daniel High School in a scrimmage to prepare for the game. Now, Tobar and his team are “blessed and honored” to have the opportunity to represent Clemson.
“That’s the only official game that we will play as a team,” Tobar said. “I could not be more proud.”
Click here to check out more photos from the match.
SunWoo Park, Clemson Ph.D. candidate, presents her research on the college football sport experience at a CSRI poster session
Clemson University’s Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute (RHBSSI) recently showcased at the College Sport Research Institute’s (CSRI) annual conference on college sport held March 19-21 in Columbia, South Carolina.
CSRI’s mission is to encourage and support interdisciplinary and inter-university college sport research, serve as the research consortium for college sport researchers from across the United States, and disseminate college sport research results to academics, college practitioners, and the general public.
As a premiere sponsor of the event, RHBSSI contributed to the success of the conference and engaged in meaningful discussions with scholars, practitioners and industry leaders studying college sport. Several RHBSSI faculty fellows and Clemson students attended, gaining valuable insights and sharing their cutting-edge research and innovation in sport. This gathering highlighted the Institute’s commitment to advancing research, education and collaboration on issues in intercollegiate athletics.
Clemson expertise on college sport
Faculty and Ph.D. students from the following Clemson departments attended the conference on behalf of RHBSSI and presented their research on college sport.
Chris Corr, Clemson University / Robert Hoffman, The Pennsylvania State University Abington / Richard M. Southall, University of South Carolina / Christopher Atwater, Troy University
Sarah Stokowski, Clemson University / Alex E. Chisholm, Clemson University / Andrew Rudd, Franklin Pierce University / Michael Godfrey, Clemson University
“‘Thank you to the Institute for supporting me to attend CSRI,” said Sarah Stokowski, associate professor of athletic leadership in the Clemson University Department of Education and Organizational Leadership Development. “I had the best time! It was also nice to see so many of my Clemson colleagues in attendance.”
Sponsorship impact
RHBSSI Assistant Director, Kayla Rogers, at the sponsorship table
“The CSRI conference provided an engaging venue to meet experts from across the country leading the academic study of college sport,” said John DesJardins, interim director of RHBSSI. “Our faculty fellows from Clemson’s College of Education have a rich history of attending, presenting at, and leading the conference, and we were honored to be involved this year and support several faculty and students to attend and present.”
RHBSSI set up a table at the event, providing an established space to meet attendees and talk about potential cross-over.
“Partnering with CSRI was the perfect opportunity to support Clemson faculty in the field and facilitate more cross-collaboration – between our faculty and those at other universities studying intercollegiate athletics,” said Kayla Rogers, assistant director of RHBSSI.
“Brooks helped make the conference be the best that it could be and I’m beyond appreciative and grateful,” said Chris Corr, executive director of CSRI and senior lecturer at Clemson University.
Paige Wasiela (right) participating in Rush Week 2025
March is Expanding Girls’ Horizons in Science and Engineering Month, a time to celebrate the achievements of women in STEM and highlight the importance of supportive communities in these fields. While science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) offer incredible opportunities, gender disparities remain, particularly in computer science. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, girls make up 61% of advanced placement (AP) biology students, 52% in AP statistics and 50% in AP chemistry. However, that number drops to just 23% in AP computer science.1 This gender gap persists beyond primary education, continuing into college and the workforce. Every day, women work to forge their own pathways to success.
Paige Wasiela, a senior computer science student at Clemson University, exemplifies a woman who has found academic and personal support in her field. Through extracurricular involvement and women’s intramural sports, she has thrived in a male-dominated field.
Paige was initially drawn to STEM by its limitless possibilities. “I was inspired to pursue STEM because I saw the opportunities post-grad to contribute to creating something that society, and myself, could benefit from,” she said.
Her journey has not been without challenges. She found her courses rigorous and, like many women in STEM, initially struggled to build a support system in her male-dominated major. “The rigor of courses in the STEM fields, computer science specifically, have proven to be very challenging, but by seeking help from TAs [teaching assistants] and professors, I have been able to pass my classes and learn.”
However, academic support from professors and TAs can only go so far. Finding a community of like-minded individuals became a crucial part of her academic success.
Paige (middle, orange shirt) with other members of Theta Tau
When looking for such a community, Paige found Theta Tau, a co-ed professional engineering organization after receiving a recommendation from a friend. Joining Theta Tau would shape the next three years of her college experience. Through the organization, Paige built lasting friendships, received help in classes from people she would have never met otherwise, and even secured a full-time job that she is passionate about. Theta Tau offered mentorship and support, and as a group that is equally composed of men and women, it provided a close-knit network of like-minded women who shared her academic drive and social interests.
Paige (middle, black socks) holds her teammate up to celebrate their intramural victory
Outside the classroom, Paige excelled in athletics. Her love for basketball led her to join the Theta Tau women’s intramural basketball team. What started as a fun activity quickly became something more meaningful. “Playing together and having fun creates a bond between us that makes us want to get to know each other better outside of the sport and be better friends,” Paige explained. This camaraderie extended into academics. “Getting to know people on the basketball court opens the door to being more comfortable around each other, especially when asking for help on things like academics.”
Mentorship has played a significant role in Paige’s journey. Admiring her teammates on the court often translated to admiration in the classroom and beyond. “When you admire someone’s work on the court, you can easily admire their work in academia, or just in life,” she said. Seeing older members succeed in their coursework provided both inspiration and guidance. Now preparing to graduate, she hopes to pass on an important lesson to younger students: never be afraid to connect with older members of your organization or major. “We’re all students in STEM. We’re all in this together.”
For girls considering a career in STEM, Paige says to “go for it! You never know until you try, and it shouldn’t be something that scares anyone. There’s a community out there for girls in STEM.”
While statistics show progress in closing the gender gap in many fields, there is still a significant disparity. Building relationships with other women in the field can help overcome challenges and foster success.
Paige’s story is a testament to the power of community, mentorship and support in helping women thrive in STEM. Whether through professional organizations like Theta Tau or the shared experience of sports, finding a network of supportive women can be life changing. As we celebrate Expanding Girls’ Horizons in Science and Engineering Month, let Paige’s journey inspire the next generation of women in STEM.
National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies. (2025, February 12). March is Expanding Girls’ Horizons in Science and Engineering Month! National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies. https://niccs.cisa.gov/cybersecurity-career-resources/featured-stories/march-expanding-girls-horizons-science-and ↩︎
