Knights affiliated with the are landing some of the most sought-after opportunities for professional experience on the biggest of stages.

Alums Erica Carnegie 麻豆精品 S�26MSBM 麻豆精品 S�26MBA, Aliya Everett 麻豆精品 S�26MSBM 麻豆精品 S�26MBA and current graduate student Zuri Sims represented UCF in the United States Golf Association 麻豆精品 S檚 (USGA) 2026 Pathways Discover Program during this summer 麻豆精品 S檚 126th U.S. Open Championship.

Through the hands-on learning experience, students had access to professionals from some of USGA 麻豆精品 S檚 partners including Deloitte, NBCUniversal, Ally, American Express, Cisco, Lexus and Rolex.

Three Black women wearing red sweaters pose for a selfie while working at a table with a scanner and monitor
(From left to right): Aliya Everett 麻豆精品 S�26MSBM 麻豆精品 S�26MBA, Zuri Sims and Erica Carnegie 麻豆精品 S�26MSBM 麻豆精品 S�26MBA on the job during the U.S. Golf Association’s Pathways Discover Program. (Courtesy of USGA photography team)

Of the 25-member intern class for 2026, UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 three accounted for more than any other university in the country. The cohort was selected from the largest and most competitive applicant pool in the Pathways program 麻豆精品 S檚 five-year history, with 782 applications submitted from candidates representing 44 states and nine countries.

麻豆精品 S淚t is a tremendous honor that the USGA continues to choose DeVos students for these positions. 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� Adrien Bouchet

麻豆精品 S淎liya, Erica and Zuri represent all the best qualities of the DeVos program, 麻豆精品 S� says Adrien Bouchet, who serves as Richard & Helen DeVos Foundation endowed chair and eminent scholar of the DeVos sport business management program. 麻豆精品 S淭hey are ambitious, hard-working, and community focused. It is a tremendous honor that the USGA continues to choose DeVos students for these positions. 麻豆精品 S�

Resume-Building Experience

Over the 10-day program in June, participants benefitted from an immersive internship experience designed to introduce students from a wide range of backgrounds to career opportunities across the golf industry through networking, mentorship, executive leadership sessions and hands-on operational learning with golf-industry executives and senior business leaders.

Woman wearing red sweater draped around her shoulders with blue top and white skirts poses in front of gray slate building with the NBC logo and Comcast Building etched in gold lettering
Erica Carnegie 麻豆精品 S�26MSBM 麻豆精品 S�26MBA says her biggest takeaway from the internship experience was realizing just how many job opportunities are tied to the professional golf industry.

Everett, who is now working as a creative services marketing fellow for the Minnesota Timberwolves in a post-graduate internship, says she feels she most benefitted from conversations with members of the USGA Executive Committee at The Meadow Club of Southampton, and a fireside chat with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

麻豆精品 S淪he gave us some insight into her perspective on the recent WNBA-CBA negotiations, and the committee members were genuinely curious to learn our stories and passionate about our aspirations, so both opportunities were more of the exclusive parts of this experience that I am very, very grateful for, 麻豆精品 S� Everett says.

The program also connected this year 麻豆精品 S檚 interns for one-on-one mentorship with 25 alumni of the program, who could help advise how to best leverage the invaluable experience.

麻豆精品 S淚’m looking forward to applying what I learned about the business side of sport from the USGA to my coursework as well as my day-to-day at my business strategy and innovation residency with the Orlando Magic this year, 麻豆精品 S� Sims says.

Woman in white outfit with red sweater draped over shoulders poses in front of a sign that reads Welcome to the 126th U.S. Open
Recent UCF grad Erica Carnegie on site at the 126th U.S. Open Championship as part of the 2026 Pathways Discover Program.

UCF-USGA Connections

USGA has turned to UCF before when it needed qualified candidates.

Andy Smith 麻豆精品 S�23MSBM 麻豆精品 S�23MBA was selected for the 2024 USGA Pathway Interns Class. He now serves as an account manager for partnership marketing for Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of New York 麻豆精品 S檚 Barclays Center, the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Liberty.

Tiesha Scott 麻豆精品 S�24 麻豆精品 S�26MSBM 麻豆精品 S�26MBA was named to the inaugural class of the Pathways Launch Internship program this year. Her paid internship opportunity is with the LPGA in Miami.