Wearing many hats in a pro soccer ‘startup’

Jake connected with Westchester SC staff members early in the fall and began interning with the club in January—“doing a little bit of everything”—before being named the player operations coordinator.

“I cater to the players’ everyday needs. We have a lot of foreign players, and I’m bilingual, so I do a lot of translation to help them move to the area and get settled, for example. I’m with the team every day, and since the players know I played myself, they know I understand their perspectives and they’re comfortable sharing their needs with me,” he says.

“But because it’s basically a startup, I have also been a part of marketing efforts, event planning and community outreach. It’s been a really interesting and rewarding experience.”

How Connecticut College prepared Jake for success

Jake, who majored in American Studies at Conn, says he regularly leans on his communication and language skills, and he credits Conn’s emphasis on career preparation from day one with helping him refine and reach his goal of launching a career in sports management.

“I took a variety of classes that all catered to my interests. They definitely made me well-rounded and allow me to be part of marketing calls, draft club documents, work on sponsorships, those sorts of things,” he says.

“And at Conn, career preparation starts early, so I knew I needed to really look into what I wanted to do in the future. I worked with the Hale Center for Career Development and the Academic Resource Center to refine my resume and make a plan, and I was prepared when I contacted the club and ultimately got the job.”