Wednesday, January 23
Washington, D.C.
7 p.m.
George Washington University
vs
VCU
Mahoney Earns Prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Internship
1/22/2019 2:23:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Women’s basketball senior to work on 2020 Women’s Division I Final Four
The end of a playing career is a scary proposition for many senior student-athletes around the country. Taking something away that has been a huge part of their lives for 20-plus years can leave some asking 'what's next?'
For GW women's basketball senior Kelsi Mahoney, though, the business side of basketball awaits after graduation, as she was selected to the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Internship Program for 2019-20.
"The whole basketball chapter ending is weird for me, but I still wanted to stay involved with the game," Mahoney said. "That's the best thing. When I first came to GW, I wanted to be a political scientist and go into politics. But as times are changing, I reverted back to the thing that I loved the most and that's sports and specifically basketball."
Mahoney will have the unique opportunity to work directly with the Division I Women's Basketball Championship. Her program will have a hands-on experience in aiding the preparation for the 2020 Women's Final Four in New Orleans. Exact projects are yet to be determined, but marketing and personnel organization are among the opportunities.
The NCAA accepts only 30 postgraduate interns a year, and it's incredibly rare for a student-athlete to then be assigned to his or her sport. The internship is open to a broad spectrum of individuals finishing undergraduate and graduate programs as well as those in the professional work seeking a change in careers.
Mahoney worked with Jessica Gray, GW's former student-athlete development associate out of the Carbonell Center, to prepare herself for the interview. After receiving multiple emails about the NCAA opportunity from Gray, Mahoney jumped at the opportunity.
"Jess worked with me extensively in the three days leading up to the deadline," Mahoney said. "She made my application what it was today and got me in the position I am. She helped me with my phone interview and then I got accepted into the in-person interview, so she helped me plan more for that.
"She gave me the confidence to go in there and kill it. If it wasn't for her and helping me through everything, I wouldn't have gotten this position, let alone the application in. Everything was done right here in-house, and I'm really thankful for it."
Gray served as an advocate for student-athletes and as a liaison in placement for successful internships through LifeSkills as part of the academic support team. She had previously helped fellow women's basketball senior Mei-Lyn Bautista secure an internship with a LeBron James-led documentary project last summer.
"Kelsi has experienced it from the student-athlete perspective, and she's just as passionate about it as a career," Gray said. "(The NCAA) looks for people that actually want to put this to work in the professional world.
"At the end of the day, once you get through the process with them, and any job opportunity, they need to understand what they'll be missing if they don't take you. I let her know that everything she needs to succeed in this opportunity she already possesses. It's just more so communicating what she's done already that aligns."
Part of the selling tactic included highlighting the team's accomplishments throughout Mahoney's career at GW, something that does not come easy for many in the course of a job interview.
"I said 'Can you flex a little bit?'," Gray remarked. "You're not just a regular Division I student-athlete, you have rings. There's proof there that you know what you're doing and you've been a part of championship cultures."
Mahoney knocked the phone and in-person interviews out of the park, all while taking care of work in the classroom and squeezing in a trip to Indianapolis between her busy in-season schedule. Once this season, and her playing career, comes to an end, Mahoney will quickly transition into preparing for the real world.
"My start date is June 17, but I'll have some experience going in with visiting this year's Final Four in Tampa and then in April we do a house-hunting trip with all the cohorts," Mahoney said. "The NCAA flies us out and we get to go house-hunting and get to know each other through meet-and-greet events. Then, I move in Father's Day weekend, say goodbye to my parents and live in Indianapolis for a year."
The opportunity this internship possesses cannot be understated as Mahoney will be working hand-in-hand with high-ranking decision-makers that influence women's basketball's biggest stage.
"The network alone for the NCAA and within women's basketball is so small and tight-knit," Mahoney said. "Just to have my foot in the door with this internship and Coach (Jennifer) Rizzotti's stature in the women's college basketball world, it's setting me up for success. I don't know what it is yet, but I know it's going to be something great."
Upon learning Mahoney had been accepted to the internship, Gray offered some final words of advice.
"I told her to think about this as a championship game," Gray said. "Walk into this opportunity as if this is the A-10 Championship and walk out like a champion. You are who you are. You have everything already, just make them love Kelsi."
Hopefully, there is another championship game on the horizon for Mahoney and the Colonials come March. Regardless, a championship career awaits Mahoney, starting with a seat at the biggest table in her profession.
For GW women's basketball senior Kelsi Mahoney, though, the business side of basketball awaits after graduation, as she was selected to the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Internship Program for 2019-20.
"The whole basketball chapter ending is weird for me, but I still wanted to stay involved with the game," Mahoney said. "That's the best thing. When I first came to GW, I wanted to be a political scientist and go into politics. But as times are changing, I reverted back to the thing that I loved the most and that's sports and specifically basketball."
Mahoney will have the unique opportunity to work directly with the Division I Women's Basketball Championship. Her program will have a hands-on experience in aiding the preparation for the 2020 Women's Final Four in New Orleans. Exact projects are yet to be determined, but marketing and personnel organization are among the opportunities.
The NCAA accepts only 30 postgraduate interns a year, and it's incredibly rare for a student-athlete to then be assigned to his or her sport. The internship is open to a broad spectrum of individuals finishing undergraduate and graduate programs as well as those in the professional work seeking a change in careers.
Mahoney worked with Jessica Gray, GW's former student-athlete development associate out of the Carbonell Center, to prepare herself for the interview. After receiving multiple emails about the NCAA opportunity from Gray, Mahoney jumped at the opportunity.
"Jess worked with me extensively in the three days leading up to the deadline," Mahoney said. "She made my application what it was today and got me in the position I am. She helped me with my phone interview and then I got accepted into the in-person interview, so she helped me plan more for that.
"She gave me the confidence to go in there and kill it. If it wasn't for her and helping me through everything, I wouldn't have gotten this position, let alone the application in. Everything was done right here in-house, and I'm really thankful for it."
Gray served as an advocate for student-athletes and as a liaison in placement for successful internships through LifeSkills as part of the academic support team. She had previously helped fellow women's basketball senior Mei-Lyn Bautista secure an internship with a LeBron James-led documentary project last summer.
"Kelsi has experienced it from the student-athlete perspective, and she's just as passionate about it as a career," Gray said. "(The NCAA) looks for people that actually want to put this to work in the professional world.
"At the end of the day, once you get through the process with them, and any job opportunity, they need to understand what they'll be missing if they don't take you. I let her know that everything she needs to succeed in this opportunity she already possesses. It's just more so communicating what she's done already that aligns."
Part of the selling tactic included highlighting the team's accomplishments throughout Mahoney's career at GW, something that does not come easy for many in the course of a job interview.
"I said 'Can you flex a little bit?'," Gray remarked. "You're not just a regular Division I student-athlete, you have rings. There's proof there that you know what you're doing and you've been a part of championship cultures."
Mahoney knocked the phone and in-person interviews out of the park, all while taking care of work in the classroom and squeezing in a trip to Indianapolis between her busy in-season schedule. Once this season, and her playing career, comes to an end, Mahoney will quickly transition into preparing for the real world.
"My start date is June 17, but I'll have some experience going in with visiting this year's Final Four in Tampa and then in April we do a house-hunting trip with all the cohorts," Mahoney said. "The NCAA flies us out and we get to go house-hunting and get to know each other through meet-and-greet events. Then, I move in Father's Day weekend, say goodbye to my parents and live in Indianapolis for a year."
The opportunity this internship possesses cannot be understated as Mahoney will be working hand-in-hand with high-ranking decision-makers that influence women's basketball's biggest stage.
"The network alone for the NCAA and within women's basketball is so small and tight-knit," Mahoney said. "Just to have my foot in the door with this internship and Coach (Jennifer) Rizzotti's stature in the women's college basketball world, it's setting me up for success. I don't know what it is yet, but I know it's going to be something great."
Upon learning Mahoney had been accepted to the internship, Gray offered some final words of advice.
"I told her to think about this as a championship game," Gray said. "Walk into this opportunity as if this is the A-10 Championship and walk out like a champion. You are who you are. You have everything already, just make them love Kelsi."
Hopefully, there is another championship game on the horizon for Mahoney and the Colonials come March. Regardless, a championship career awaits Mahoney, starting with a seat at the biggest table in her profession.
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