Berit got the opportunity to lead and create a program for NCAA sports team.
As a sport management major at Adelphi University, Kim Berit ’12 was actively involved not only on campus, but in internships as well. During her undergraduate career, Berit interned for both the Staten Island Yankees and the now-defunct Brooklyn Aviators of the Federal Hockey League after attending résumé workshops offered by Bernadine Waller, now associate director of experiential learning in the Center for Career and Professional Development.
Those internships gave her experience in everything from box office sales to generating new ideas that were implemented on game days. They also helped her find her career. In July 2013, Berit was hired as the head women’s bowling coach for Franklin Pierce University.
“Interning for minor league sports teams comes with a lot of demanding hours,” she said. “Being an NCAA head coach isn’t a 9-to-5 job. Those internships with minor league teams prepared me to work long days.”
What made this opportunity unique for Berit was that the team itself was brand-new. Franklin Pierce had just created the program, and they hired Berit as its first-ever head coach.
“I started the program, so a lot of what is established is what I created,” Berit said. “I didn’t have to change what someone else started—this program is like my child.”
Berit, who was a member of Adelphi’s women’s bowling team, credits that experience, along with her many other extracurricular activities on campus, for providing her with the insight that she needs as a collegiate coach.
“At Adelphi, I learned overall versatility,” she said. “Working as a tour guide helped me with filling out applications and learning about the eligibility of college athletes, which is what helped me get my job. Working in residential life helped me with mediation and mentorship, which really helped during our first season with guiding the freshmen when there were no upperclassmen. Leadership within my sorority and the bowling team still helps me today. Everything I did at Adelphi prepared me for the job that I have now.”
It is these lessons and experiences that Berit wants to bring to her own athletes.
“Adelphi taught me to prepare for the real world in both sports and extracurricular activities,” she said. “I want to prepare my bowlers for the real world too.”
This article appeared in the Career Compass Fall 2016 Newsletter.For further information, please contact:
Center for Career and Professional Development
Nexus Building, Room 225
p – 516.877.3130
Students and Alumni: careercounselor@adelphi.edu
Employers: employerservices@adelphi.edu