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.
Natalie Bell racing in a Clemson Sports Car auto-crossing event.
Bell as a young child.
I grew up surrounded by my dad’s love of cars, specifically BMWs. He even bought me my own BMW to push around the house, and I spent Sundays with him watching F1 races in my lucky checkered flag socks, cheering on Kimi Raikkonen. I spent hours in the garage while he worked on his autocross car, so much so that when I was three, I begged him for my mechanic’s creeper to see what he was doing.
My dad was constantly fixing up his car for autocross- a racing event where drivers race one at a time through a cone-lined course. The objective is speed and agility, as hitting a cone results in a time penalty. The event organizers calculate all the times, and drivers can see where their times compare to their peers. As I watched him draw out autocross courses for our local Baltimore autocross group, I told him that I couldn’t wait to turn thirteen so that I could ride in the car with him as he raced.
Bell’s dad ready to compete in 24 hours of Lemon.
That dream would end up on pause for a while. My dad sold his tan BMW to go back to school and didn’t race for a decade. Eventually, my dad stumbled upon 24 Hours of Lemons, which is probably the weirdest racing event you could ever partake in. 24 Hours of Lemons is a riff off of 24 Hours of Lemans, a prestigious professional racing event. However, Lemons is not prestigious and is not 24 hours long.
Lemons is a two-day endurance event with various locations across the country where drivers and mechanics give old “lemons” of cars new lives as race cars. Each team must buy a car for $500 and then outfit it with a roll cage and additional safety features. My dad gathered a team of his coworkers to form Team Race Team, fixed up a BMW 318ti that hadn’t run in 10 years, and turned it into Oscar the Grouch. Or Otto, because he’s German.
Bell and Father preparing to race.
Watching my dad race again renewed my interest in racing. Eventually, I want to race alongside my dad in 24 Hours of Lemons, and autocrossing is one of the first steps. I have autocrossed as a part of Clemson Sports Car Club for the past two semesters, and I plan to continue to autocross post-grad. I love the sport of constantly trying to beat my own time while simultaneously trying to stay near my dad’s time (which is much faster than mine.)
It’s so rewarding to participate in autocross with my dad and finally fulfill my childhood dream of racing with him. He has taught me not to give up on my passions- sometimes, they take time.
Coming into the new year of 2025, the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute welcomes four new and one returning student intern for the spring 2025 semester. The five come with outstanding backgrounds, looking to bring new ideas and advances to the Institute.
Griffin Barfield
Griffin Barfield is a junior Communication major and Spanish minor from Oceanport, NJ. He is the lead writer and editing intern for the Institute for the spring semester. This role involves providing the University with content about breakthroughs in the sports science community that are occurring at Clemson, interviewing students and faculty about the endeavors.
“I’m excited to get going with the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute,” Barfield said. “I’m looking forward to writing about unique advances that are occurring right here on campus and the people behind them.”
In addition to writing with RHBSSI this semester, Barfield is the current sports editor of The Tiger, Clemson student newspaper. While managing a newsroom of over 23 reporters, his experience in this role will help look deeper into the people behind the advances in the sport science world, hoping to tell a one-of-a-kind story.
Evelyn Lane
Evelyn Lane is from Piedmont, SC and is a junior Marketing major with a minor in Spanish. She is the Institute’s communications lead, creating content for the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute’s social media handles.
“I am so excited to work with RHBSSI to help promote the Institute and all of the amazing things they do for the faculty, students, and university as a whole,” Lane said. “I am looking forward to continuing to improve my skills in marketing communications and social media strategy, as well as work with my fellow interns and see all the things we will be able to accomplish together.”
Lane previously worked with Cadency, Clemson University’s student-led brand agency, for the last two years. While working with the agency’s social media account and brand strategy, she will look to bring that experience to the Institute in the spring semester.
Natalie Bell
Natalie Bell is a senior Graphic Communications major with a minor in Brand Communications from Greenville, SC. Returning from the fall semester, she will continue her work as the lead graphic design intern in the spring with the Institute, creating visual media to benefit sports science efforts at Clemson.
“I am excited to return as the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute graphic design lead!” Bell said. “I loved my experience as a RHBSSI intern last fall. I look forward to seeing how I can further apply my graphic design skills to our events and promotional materials.”
Bell returns with the skills gained from the Institute a semester ago, where she will build off of her work from the fall. She is also currently the creative director in Cadency, looking to continue to use experience from her work there to enhance the Institute.
Nicole Souza
Nicole Souza is a senior Bioengineering major from Duxbury, MA. She will serve as the technical communications specialist, acting as the technical knowledge base for concepts and technologies related to the events in sports science. She will also help with getting a firsthand look at the hard work that happens behind the scenes of these endeavors.
“I’m really looking forward to working with the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute,” Souza said. “It’s just a unique opportunity to collaborate with students from across campus and help share the Institute’s mission.”
Previously, Souza spent time in the industry through valuable internship experiences, working with medical devices and pharmaceutical companies. It has allowed her to receive a strong, technical foundation in science and engineering, which will help recognize the actions that are being done in the field of sports science.
Keeleigh Bush
Keeleigh Bush is from Rutherfordton, NC and is a senior Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management major with an emphasis in Tourism and Event Management. She is the events lead intern for the spring semester, arranging events over the course of the upcoming months.
“I am extremely excited to get started this semester as the Events lead for the RHBSSI!” Bush said. “This is such an incredible opportunity to expand my network, and apply the skills and experience I have learned over the past three years. I’m looking forward to working with the team and being hands-on this semester.”
Bush also serves as the public relations chair for the Clemson Event Planners Association. With this role, she will use her experience to help plan exciting events for RHBSSI to hold over the course of the spring semester.
